Little Solace Comes to Those who Grieve
by Jnaso
Summary: The chances taken, choices made, and paths followed by A012 and her over-serious companion on their journey to regenerate themselves. Follows ToS/Manga/Tales of Fandom versions. Kranna.
1. Chapter 1

In this place, solitude was a blessing. For the young and the old, to be alone was the best comfort as could be provided by the goddess Martel. Away from the agony of other prisoners and away from the beasts that drove them, like cattle, to work for the empty promises of food, water, and mercy. Here, everyone was reduced to the same state. Barbarians shackled by barbarians. Family, friends, and lovers reduced to nothing. Gather them all together and you have a room of empty stares. Not a word spoken, not a sound made. Place a husband next to a wife and find no recognition, not that they would try. A mother next to her child, and there would be no bond. To be a prisoner of a human ranch meant death to one's soul except for the luckiest captives of all, those of a mother pregnant upon arrival, birthed within these cold, stone walls. Life for them was never tasted, so life for them was never lost.

Fresh captives take a while to break. A lively spirit takes longer to kill. They resist and they disobey, but it is of no consequence to the results produced. In the end, everyone walks with the same stride, breathes the same shallow breaths, and is adorned with the same parasitic gem.

This was not the case for Asgard's cell section A. Oftentimes the company of other prisoners was infrequent. Granted precious isolation in their cells for days at length, their spiritual life was prolonged. Starved at the same rate, they were not forced to work, but to "perform", a term crowned by subject A001, the first and long since deceased test subject of section A. It was the simple routines that kept them sane. "Performing", or running until complete exhaustion, was to be undertaken daily. Food four times a week. Water left in the cell after each performance if the subject behaves. Beatings as the overseer deemed appropriate, which usually meant multiple times day and night.

All of this had been explained to Kratos in the time it took for him to make his way with his guide into section A's testing room. "It is my understanding that Lord Yggdrasil sent you to observe our experiments in making what he desires," the guide said, releasing the security on the door at the far side of the room.

His "guide" was little more than a well dressed murderer. He was a thin man, slightly tall, with the smallest and blackest of eyes and a disturbing smile. If his unnaturally whitened hair did not betray him for the half elf he was, his point-crested ears certainly did. His name was Kvar, and he was notorious for being the very ambitious and very cruel leader of the Asgard human ranch.

"Through here we have the host bodies. Currently there are only four that meet the requirements. We had a bit of a… disagreement with two of them just yesterday and they were disposed of," the half elf smiled to himself, "but I am sure these will be to your liking."

In the dark, the hall looked less providing than a dungeon. A foul odor exuded each cell, obviously vomit and excrement that had been festering for months. Heavy panting could be heard from three of the four captives as they were dragged from their cells by the Desian guards. The silent fourth human, having fainted from exhaustion was dragged out by the hair, bare legs scraping against the floor as they returned to the testing facility. Judging from their size, they were barely a child.

"It is necessary for the host bodies to undergo tremendous stress during cultivation." Kvar explained, watching two of the Desians attempt to wake the unconscious human with kicks and jabs. They rocked back and forth with hollow thuds.

"Disgusting whelp!" One Desian yelled before finally giving up.

"Regardless," Kvar motioned to the conscious trio who were slumped to the floor, "shall we begin?"

"No. It is pointless to begin when they can not even stand. I would have thought you would want me to witness their full potential. Unless, of course, you think this is a game," Kratos glanced at Kvar as he spoke, warning in his voice. "Lord Yggdrasil would not be impressed at your inability to preserve these humans."

"One finds a dog anywhere. Lord Yggdrasil knows how expendable a filthy creature is. Especially those that show little promise."

Kratos ignored the overseer and approached the living dead before him. Never an incredibly bulky man, Kratos felt strangely aware of how tall and broad his body was in comparison to them. Their rags were worn and stained and hung from bony shoulders to their thin, sickly legs. If there was a woman among them, he could not tell. Each of them had the same short hair and were so undefined in form that they all appeared asexual. He stood in front of each of them, lifted each chin, stared into each eye, but caught not a spark from them. A ghost among ghosts, he was. He wasn't real. The running for hours with no escape, the crack of the whip… that was the reality. Humanity, or at least the shape of it, was a phantom. The teasing mistress calling to them from deeper insanity.

He knew just how they felt. If they were seeing with those eyes, they would look upon the same empty ones staring back at them. He felt nothing for their suffering. He had nothing to feel.

"I will report the minimum requirements are being met." Kratos turned to the door and began his departure. The only thing that nipped at his apathy was his apathy itself. In all his years he had become so…

…

"Lifeless?"

"Exactly. People fear and despise what is different. The only solution is for everyone to become the same."

"That isn't acceptance," Kratos said, "that is emptiness."

Yggdrasil crossed his legs and calmly pressed his fist to his chin. "The solution is to make everyone the same race. That is what Martel wanted…" His eyes drifted from Kratos to the ceiling.

Kratos shook his head. "This is absurd."

"Then what should I do, Kratos?" Yggdrasil bitterly snapped, "Revive Martel into a world that would drag her back down into death? Pointless! Humans and elves will always stay the same."

Yggdrasil stood and paced slowly and angrily. "I am going to create the perfect world for her rebirth, regardless of whether or not you aid me."

A careful silence followed. Kratos felt something stir inside him. Was it the fear of retribution? Or the fact that Mithos had pushed his madness too far for Kratos to ignore? Mithos, his once wonderful student… the fallen hero of the Kharlan War…

"Kratos." Yggdrasil stared at him with narrowed eyes. "You are rejecting me?"

"What you are doing is not what Martel wanted," Kratos replied. He felt energized and aware for the first time in years. It would be almost thrilling, had the situation not been so sad. He fixed his gaze on Yggdrasil whose agitation was rising. "We must change what we have done by reuniting the worlds, not destroying them."

Yggdrasil's rage was consumed by a sudden fit of frantic laughter. "You? You are betraying me? You, Kratos?" The laughter rose, a high, unsettling giggle. "Fine. Go! In fact, run."

Kratos kept his gaze steady.

"I said, run! Run from what you have done at my side! I'll be glad to see you do it," his words were flat but tinged with acid, "I am where I am because of you."

…

"You!" The guard yelled, bringing his whip down upon the back of F519 with a snap. "Get up!"

It had been years since he had set foot in these sheered, stone walls, yet Kratos detected no obvious differences, save for the occupants of the cells. Nearly every face had been replaced and those who were unfortunate enough to have been spared the merciful embrace of death for more than a decade knew little of what had changed around them. The Age of Lifeless Beings was flourishing right before his eyes.

The younger, fresher captives were an obvious contrast to any other prisoner. The eyes that peered at him with deep hatred and resentment held such a contrasting liveliness that it would have been impossible to hide.

"We received no word from Lord Kvar of your arrival," the gruff half-elf before him began as he guided them through multiple hallways and doors, "but as second in command, I will not deny a member of Cruxis."

"A wise decision. Unfortunately," Kratos removed his blade from his side and plunged it into the heart of the lone half elf before him, "not one that saved your life."

His blade slid from the man's chest and back to where he had produced it from in a single, quiet motion. A soft gurgling rose in the larger man's throat but quieted when he slumped to the floor, lifeless. Kratos had put himself on a short timer until every soldier in the ranch would be hunting for him. The brief look at the report on A012 was hopefully all that was needed to locate her, if she was even still alive.

"You seem… lost… Have you found… what you were looking… for?" A voice from the first cell, raspy and strained, drifted from the battered form of the section's only current resident. The dim light danced in her downcast eyes. Her small, pointed shoulders were drawn up around herself in a weak attempt at self defense. The coarse material which served as her clothing was a sickly hue of brown and green, not much unlike her skin, which lacked the color that even the dying possessed. Her dry lips pressed into a thin smile. "I remember you..."

Her words were faint and faded. From time to time, it seemed to him as if she couldn't remember the words she was trying to say. She spoke of his inspection years ago, revealing herself as the "unconscious" fourth human. She said what she did as if only to confirm the memory with herself. It was not an angry accusation. He felt the bitter sting of guilt; it was his inaction that had led her here. What needed to be done to stop the production of the Cruxis crystals and halt the ascension of the Age of Lifeless Beings he did not know, as he did not fully understand the experimentation. But what better place to begin searching for answers than with the only known successful host to the source of the problem?

Kratos slid aside the rusted bars that separated them with little effort. Her body was shaking as she sat on the floor, half facing away from him, hands clasped together over her knees.

"Come," Kratos commanded, turning back toward the only entrance to the room. It would not be long before someone found the Desian's body. He had obtained the vessel of the knowledge which he had been seeking. He had little time to spare in evacuating it from it's moldy prison.

She shifted mechanically to follow, small feet issuing hardly a sound as they exited into the testing facility. Noticing the bloodied body not far from the doorway, her heart began to quicken. Her footfalls ceased at a center section of the floor automatically. Kratos glanced at her from over his shoulder as she stared at him expectantly.

"What are you doing?" he asked, earning a bewildered stare.

"Is it… not the same testing… today?" Her dark eyes were very large and very aware for such a long time resident of a human ranch. He kept a careful, emotionless mask. She was scanning him for clues. "It is… as the others… have departed… then?"

"There is no time for this," he informed. His fingers slid over the key panel, opening the next door. "I wish to speak with you outside. Come."

She followed his stride with fits of nervousness. Corridors the farther from the previous room looked less and less familiar. They passed halls of other prisoners that she had never even known were there. All these years she never heard a sound from her cell after the others had all been taken away, one by one, never to return. It was heartbreaking to know that countless people had been suffering this way for an unimaginable amount of time.

"Where are we going?" She inquired with mounting anxiety. In this place, they always followed routine. If it wasn't time for testing, it was time to be fed. If it wasn't time to be alone, it was time to be beaten. She hadn't even gone outside the testing room in years. She felt the quickening of panic grab hold of her and take control. The man she was following would not respond, but she knew. She knew this was it. She was going to be killed.

She halted in the middle of the floor. Kratos took immediate notice and grabbed her wrist. No sooner than he had, the sharp wail of sirens filled the air. Her fear seemed to turn her veins to ice. Taking the small chance the distraction had given her, she broke from his grip and dashed for the next door. Stumbling from the force it took to break his grip, she barely managed to glide to the door and outside with wondrous speed.

The alarming shouts of the Desians filled the air. Her panic was nearly crippling. Her eyes burned and her heart pounded as tears streamed down her face. She stole away beside a small, gated door to gather her thoughts. There was something about the door, she thought, that was strangely appealing. It was small and square, barely wide enough for a man's shoulders to squeeze through, made of shining silver metal. A perfect hiding place. Alerted by the tromping of boots, she hid herself against the wall as another pair of Desians went dashing by. She had no time to reason out the fine details, she decided, and pulled at the thin metal framing with all her might.

"Come on…" she strained as the two lower bolts snapped off. The unnatural sound of scraping metal against metal was heard from down the hall. In desperation, she tugged at the wires and snapped the third corner off. It was a miracle she had gotten it this far off its hinges, but her luck had drained. Screams were crying out from the direction she had come from. With a final pull, the weak gate snapped off and sent her backwards, falling right into the view of a particularly fearsome Desian… or at least, his head, as it was swiped clean from his neck with a slash from the deadly flaming blade of the man she had been shadowing earlier.

Hot blood spun off the mass and spattered across the floor, her face, and up the wall. Eyes filled with terror met cold, unmoving ones. She jumped to her feet as he parried an attack from behind and sent the attacker to the wall. As fast as humanly possible, she place her head and neck within the small, square hole and began pulling herself up into the small space.

"Wait!" The man shouted at her as she scrambled up toward a horizontal cavity. It was much larger but still confined. She felt fingers grabbing for her feet as she hoisted herself up onto the slick surface of what she guessed was the ventilation system. 'Wait'? Really? That man was insane if he thought she was going to wait for him to slice her head off too.

After what seemed like an hour of crawling on her stomach, the siren's cry began to cool into a low whine. Sometimes the passage was almost too narrow to allow her. Sometimes she would have to slide down vertically and twist herself into the next space, or climb up in the same fashion she first entered. The weight of the situation hadn't yet nestled on her shoulders, she realized, as her exhaustion was beginning to slow her advance. She briefly remembered the looks on the faces of the prisoners she had discovered and felt guilt well up inside of her. She swallowed hard and slid her way around a corner that seemed abnormally rusted and dirty. There were so many paths she could have taken along the way that she was sure that she was lost. A trail of dark, crumpled objects drew her closer to what looked like a dead end. Up until this, it had been impossible to see in the unlit, metal pathway. But she was sure she was perceiving these, and as she reached out to examine one, it crunched under the light pressure of her fingers.

These familiar things… "Leaves..?" she murmured to herself. Reaching out, she groped at another similar, but badly rusted gate like the one she had broken to enter the duct. Her excitement and nervousness swept away her fatigue as she felt through the openings in the wire at more withered plants and sticks. A pale light could barely be seen on the other side. There was no choice but to risk whatever would be there. She knew that they would be track her eventually. If they were waiting for her out there, then she would just have to finally give up.

Her foot pounded at the gate, powered by her strong, wiry legs. Years of running as one of her many forms of torture had built up their strength tremendously, but her fear had kept them frail and weak. Rusted metal sliced through her skin but this fixture snapped off much easier than the previous one. She dug her way through the pile of dead foliage that had obscured the exit she had so desperately been searching for. A cool breeze coaxed her out of the labyrinth, into a tree speckled hillside.

It was breathtaking. Night carpeted the entire earth and stars blanketed a sky lit dully with the sickly glow of the moon. At her back was the prison that threatened to break her. To her front, a beautiful, wide unknown, blessedly free of Desians. It was hardly a choice for her to continue forward before she was caught. She had to find someone to help her free the others.

It was not long before her wonder and merriment subsided. Every step she took was far too loud on the brittle sticks and leaves, and often alerted whatever was shuffling around the forest to her presence. More than once, she found herself holding her breath, unmoving for what seemed like an eternity, only to find that nothing was there. Frustrated, she sank to the ground in tears.

"I have no way to tell… where to go…" she wheezed lightly. Words tore at her vocal chords from years of neglect. She was incredibly lucky to have been drawn from that cell when she was. Without the meal she had been given minutes before that man had arrived she would have never made it so far as opening the entrance to the ducts.

Branches covered with broad, mossy leaves groaned and shifted in the breeze. Noisy brush made it impossible to hear if an attacker lurked behind even the closest of trees. The whole situation seemed completely hopeless.

"This…" she gasped, as she made her way into an overgrown clearing. The thick, pungent smell of gore rose from the grass. Two men in typical Desian dressings stared at her with lifeless eyes, or what was left of them. Each body had been adorned with bursting melted gashes. Entrails and chips of broken bone slopped from one's stomach to his side, a blood soaked nest of blue and purple coils. Another three lay silent to the right, in more or less the same condition. Her fingers rose to her dirty face, fingering the dried Desian's blood. The sour taste of bile rose into her throat and threatened to exit. Had that person really made it out of the human ranch alive?

A sense of dread rose and consumed her as a trail of thickening blood led her eyes to the confirmation of her fears. The red haired man was to the far side of the slaughter, slowly advancing. He looked little more than a demon, decorated with the blood of many once terrifying men.

She sank to the ground in her despair.

"We can not linger here. Get up, Anna."

Anna…?

"How do you..? Where… where are we-" Her words retreated into her throat as he gripped her upper arm and pulled her to her feet, bloody and raw from the abuse of her escape. Intent on avoiding other massacres, she relinquished her new found freedom, however temporary.

"Little time remains before we are pursued. We will speak when we have crossed enough distance," his voice was stone, absolute. He shrugged off his damp, red muffler and placed it over her shoulders. Its rough fabric, once a dull gray was soaked with blood across it's back. She tore it from her body in disgust, casting it to her feet, choosing the thin layer of remaining wetness to shield her from the cold. Whether or not the act offended her captor, he didn't care to say.

She feared she might wretch as her feet slid across bits of gooey blood and innards while he guided her from the field, her malnourished wrist dwarfed in his iron grip.

A012 "Anna" had always possessed keen observation and carefulness. But to her misfortune, the goddess Martel also blessed her with a sharp tongue and enough ill luck for a dozen men. Half mad with exhaustion, confusion, and hunger, it was the latter gifts she chose to exercise.

"I wonder where it is… you come from," she began, each breath searing her lungs, "that would have raised you… with so little manners… "

If her captor had been troubled enough to reply, she was unable to take notice. Her whole chest felt like it was aflame. Her hands like ice pressed against her skin as she placed her bony fingers to her throat in a feeble effort to cool her blood. The sleek surface of her parasitic exsphere was scalding hot to the touch where it lay buried deep between her collar bones.

Anna waved her hand in front of her face, but saw four. There was a high ring in her ears mixed with muffled sounds. The blurry figure of her captor turned to face her before the world suddenly tilted on its axis. She felt the air rush through her hair and something hard hit her in the back. A tingling in her fingers spread up through her limbs and filled her with the heaviness of lead.

Then she sank into a feverish unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two reviews on my first chapter isn't something I'd expected! I'm glad that someone likes my version of this tale. There are a few flaws with the information I have given in the first chapter and I am going to change them. I expect this to be a seamless transition, as the details are minor...**

**Something that may bother you, the reader, about my story is my tendency to switch from one character to another in third person limited. This bothers me as well, but I will try to make it as painless a switch as possible. Perhaps some of you might not even notice or care! :)  
**

**Thank you for your ratings and reviews as it is much appreciated,**

**Jnaso  
**

* * *

Blurred colors and shapes swirled around her in a curious fashion. The exsphere at her throat had finally yielded to the cold, reluctantly withdrawing its threat of death for the time being. It was often she was left in this state of semi-paralysis, though the eerie sense of weightlessness Anna was feeling was completely new, as well as the absence of prodding Desians.

A pale white light swayed in her vision as if in a swoon. It was so distant and beautiful, she thought, as she held it in her gaze and smiled.

There was an incessant tugging at her limbs, like a steady gravitational pull. Something held her from floating away, though she knew not what it was. The faint sound of churning water slowly became less and less inaudible. It filled her ears until she thought they might break under the pressure. She felt her body bobbing slowly, her hair that clung to her forehead slick with moisture, and the unmistakable presence of the terrifying, demonic young man that had been pursuing her.

Her senses rushed back to her and she jolted to sit up, though beneath her was not solid ground. She had been floating in a river, she realized much too late, as the freezing water closed over her head. The man's strong arms trapped her and lifted her out. The world spun as she sputtered and strained against him, coughing furiously and gasping for air. With relative ease, he lifted her out and dragged her across the shallow, rocky riverbed as she struggled with her steps.

The man had been soaked with water up to his chest. Had he held her floating there so her exsphere would cool and temporarily halt its siphoning of her mana? Anna was as apprehensive of him as she was exhausted. What he did he must have done out of desperation. She simply knew something he wanted to know. That was all.

Stones faded into dirt, and the dirt into leaves and twigs and grass. A flickering flame raged in a small opening in the woods, big enough for barely five people. The trees, she noticed, were different from the ones outside the ranch. These were thin, with spindly branches and brittle bark. Some had small, pointed leaves while others had broad, waxy ones. The biting scent of salt drifted through the air on a gusty breeze from time to time. It was a nostalgic scent that took her a while to place before she realized it was coming from the sea. How she longed to see it's fearsome waves painted with that long lost blue...

Her yearning was interrupted as she was rudely deposited beside the campfire. She stumbled as he released her arm, falling back onto the ground. Hot coals greeted her a few feet from her face with their warmth, the most welcoming thing she had encountered in years. The man sat on the ground to her side.

"Tell me about the jewel on your neck," he began without pleasantries, "and about any information about reversing the process."

"I hoped you would grace me with some knowledge... as to who the hell you are... and what the hell is going on... before you began your interrogation," her tone dripped with annoyance.

"I am Kratos Aurion, a... mercenary. I feel no need to tell you more."

"Charming."

Her sarcasm was oddly refreshing to him, but it only took a warning glance to quiet her. She laid herself back once more, turning herself on her side to face the fire. Light waltzed around them and he allowed the moments of silence to let Anna calm. One could tell how grotesquely underfed and ill she was just by looking. Her legs were bare and thin and her feet were cut and scraped, bandaged by dried mud and whatever else she had been trudging through. Through a tear in the fabric, Kratos spotted the thin outline of her ribs pressing at her skin. Her smell was putrid and the worst of all, though expected. But it did not make her less unwelcoming.

"It seems you have dealt with your ordeal well," Kratos lied courteously.

"Shutting your eyes to things you do not... wish to see is not dealing with them." He saw her brows furrow above her sunken eyes as she fought with her words. Large half circles were painted beneath them. His eyes flitted elsewhere as she looked up at him.

He looked intently at the fire. "I understand that more than you know."

"What a pair we make," she said with a weary smile.

For a while nothing was said. The fire filled the silence with its own chatter, crackling and snapping excitedly as Kratos fed it another branch.

"Strangely," she resumed, "there have been times when I worry... I find myself more fascinating a project than the researchers did. You say this is what you want to hear of..." Her dark eyes fixed to him with suspicion. "Yet why not ask them about it?"

Perhaps he had been curious. But his many years had burned wisdom into him. Anna had been suitably bearing her exsphere without fail for years now. The presence of talented researchers would be needed elsewhere and he had little patience to hunt them down. His mood soured. It wasn't that he didn't have the patience. The fact was that his decent upon Sylvarant left him in a state of racing thoughts and rushed decisions.

"You are in no position to be asking questions," he reminded her, "and we don't have time for chitchat."

She was quiet at his side. She watched the golden light with thoughtful eyes. She was in desperate need of rest and nourishment, he knew. But what use was there in feeding a dying woman?

"You are quite secretive for someone speaking with the dead," she whispered. He watched her quietly until she continued, her voice growing with anger, "You will either kill me or leave me to die and you will not tell me for what cause. Why should I tell you anything? What is the consequence for silence?"

She was sitting up and leaning in his direction now, eyes sparkling with injustice, but Anna's flames withered from his inaction. Her eyes had moistened at the edges but did not overflow. A tiny swell of guilt settled in Kratos' stomach. His first order of business fresh out of Cruxis had been harassing an innocent girl. He had torn this human from her prison and placed her into an even more dangerous position. Next to him, traitor to Yggdrasil, she had small chance of avoiding those who sought her exsphere. Without him, she had almost no way of escaping them or surviving. Was he to put her down with his own hand?

"It's true that if I leave you here you will die of starvation or exposure," he said, closing his eyes with heavy resignation. "I... have done some terrible things for which I wish to atone, but I don't know how. In my haste, I've actively put you in danger and I have no excuse. I apologize."

Anna lost the words she'd been holding onto. Kratos' eyes remained shut and she felt much more comfortable that way. She studied the way his auburn hair shielded his face and how awful he looked, still partially covered in dried blood. She touched her face where she had also been decorated with it, though now she felt none. The cold night's breeze swept through her hair, light and recently dried. She felt so fresh and clean from the water, with the chill and dampness having melted away with the fire long ago.

This small comfort was not enough to calm her. There was a fierce pain in her stomach and a strong throbbing behind her temples. Kratos opened his eyes and watched her nervously as she fingered the stone sealed into her skin. She felt her swelling veins wrestle with each heartbeat, every pulse feeding pain through her limbs. Mesmerized, her chipped nails clawed at the skin the gem had bitten into, peeling off layers which flaked onto her clothes. Beneath, her skin was inflamed and raw.

Kratos leaned forward to pull her hand away until the distant sound of unnatural scraping snapped him to attention. For a moment, he was uncertain he had heard anything. The groaning of branches had been common since nightfall. Anna jolted back into focus and opened her mouth to question his motives, but ceased just as quickly when something splintered within human earshot with an audible crack. The wind had been blowing stronger ever since the incident at the river but now it was cresting with gusts. The bright moon had disappeared at some point during the conversation, replaced by the dark clouds of a brewing storm. Rain sweetened the air as the first droplets steamed against the fire. It seemed only a few seconds before Kratos had acted, dragging a small bag from beneath some of the surrounding brush. No sooner than he had produced a clean, woven mantle from its contents and placed it over her shoulders, they were fleeing in the direction of the river. The heavy beating of boots had grown loud enough to have been just beyond a thick stretch of trees.

Anna's legs were stiff and sore, causing her footsteps to be so awkward that she almost brought Kratos down with her at times. Always he was able to steady her with his grip. His urgency had infected her, yielding enough adrenaline for her to make it to the bank. He stopped ahead, just short of the lapping water. The river was black as death in the night and churned with enough visible force to sweep them both away if they dared attempt to swim across. Anna knew she would not be able to withstand it and looked to Kratos helplessly.

What began as droplets had grown into a downpour. Without the light of the moon or the campfire it had become impossible to see through the strengthening sheets of rain. Anna could not recall a more frightening storm. Everything was so loud. The wind, the rain, the raging river; it all seemed to tear relentlessly at her. She felt the growing heat at her throat, pulsing and siphoning her strength, and quickly stamped her fear flat. This was hardly the time for an episode, and she was determined to stay conscious.

"There's no time for rest!" Kratos called, pulling her from the river and back into the sparse surrounding woodland. He glimpsed flickering torchlight through the trees before the rain smothered their flames. Pulling her as he dashed, Kratos never strayed far from the river bank. The ground inclined as they continued, until there was a steep slope of rocks at their side leading to the river. He guessed from the Desian's numbers that further pursuit uphill would be difficult in the storm.

"Where are we going?" Anna's weak voice nearly blew away.

Against the Desian search party, Kratos surmised he would be able to efficiently eliminate them. However, at some point during their exchanges he had chosen to aid the girl in her escape. In a battle, protecting her would be a terrible liability. He was astonished she had even been able to hold her footing on the loose rock and mud for this long.

As if on cue, a large branch of thorns glanced off Kratos as he passed and flicked back with a snap. Blind in the darkness, Anna caught the full force of the blow across her cheek, biting into her flesh like a whip. Reeling back in surprise, her feet slipped on the moss covered rocks beneath her and tumbled. He followed down the slope, attempting to balance her to no avail.

Visibility had greatly increased when they reached level ground. Without the thick canopy to obscure it, he saw the sky from the water's edge as markedly lighter. Dawn had broken and the wind and rain had lessened considerably. To his dismay, Kratos observed the band of half elves had followed, advancing in the distance and undoubtedly aware of where they were.

He assisted Anna to her feet, remarkably still conscious after the ordeal. Her toughness continued to impress him. He turned from her, focusing on their situation.

"How many are there?" she asked. Her breaths were hard and ragged. "I don't think I can... keep running anymore."

He spun to view her at once. Steadying herself on a small boulder with both arms, Anna stood awkwardly, leaning on only one leg. The ankle she lifted above the ground was red and swelling quickly. Sprained or fractured, he wasn't sure, but it would be an easy fix for his healing artes. Kratos hesitated. Ever since he left he had refused to use anything other than the sword at his side and he had already begun to feel more like his old self; like a human being.

"Eight, perhaps nine." He leveled himself by her side and turned to face the oncoming fight. He refused to heal her.

Anna seated herself in a wave of hopelessness, as he thought she might. Her human eyes filled with the brightness of dawn as she sadly looked to the soldiers finally marching into her sight. He realized this must have been her first time seeing the world illuminated by the sun in years. Light gray clouds reflected in her eyes. Her skin was pale as milk next to her hair blackened with dampness. Colorless and shapeless like a ghost, she was.

"You want to stop the production of exspheres... is that it?" her voice was flat and quiet. "I see that you have one of your own, mercenary. Likely you know all that I do. However," she smiled thinly, "if you can stop them from being mined, will they not run out of ones to use?"

"The Desians told you that information?"

"A014... Brom... he taught me a lot of what he knew."

The group stood a short distance away looking grim. A few cocky uniformed men wore smirks or smiles. It felt like resigning to death, Anna thought, staring blankly forward. She would die, she knew. And the mysterious mercenary who she had come to assume was not going to slay her would die as well. She considered briefly the possibility of placing herself in their hands willingly, but the result would be the same. One stepped forth from the crowd and removed his helm, much finer than the ones his companions were sporting. His short, pale hair stuck out wildly around the young man's handsome face.

Kratos took note of Anna's reaction. Her body tensed as she strained to hold her tongue, eyes adhering to the man before her.

"Test subject A012, you have been charged with theft by Lord Kvar, Grand Cardinal of the Asgard human ranch, the punishment for which being death," he said, drawing a beautiful silver longsword etched with an intricate pattern that actively swirled on the blade as if it were alive. He pointed it at her threateningly, though his eyes were on her bloodied companion. "Lord Kratos, your charges are pending. I, Eldrich, have been ordered to return with you alive."

"You believe you can defeat me?"

"I do," the fair haired man assured Kratos, frowning.

The men shifted around them dangerously. Fitted with lightweight leather armor instead of helmets and guards, Kratos was the fastest of all those present and the first to act. He slashed upwards at Eldrich who met and held him with a solid parry. One Desian of obvious lesser skill swiped at Kratos' side, only to be knocked back into the water by Anna's feet. The bulky man grunted as he stood red-faced, turning to her to heal his pride. He raised his heavy broadsword above her head to deal a crushing blow. Diving down to the shallow water, she winced as it bit into the rock in her place.

She looked to Kratos for help, though he had since been surrounded in the frenzy. Several men were strewn over the ground, dead or dying. One leaned off to the side and clutched his wounds in pain before he buckled. Blood bloomed around the thinly spread water between the rocks. Her view of the scene was obscured as the muscular man regained his composure. His giant paw curled around her wrist, wrenching her from the rocky shore to meet him on eye level. Anna clutched a stone and slammed it hard across his exposed jaw. He cried out, enraged, as he threw her down and tore off his helmet. Blood pooled beneath his skin where she had fractured the bone.

The water was deeper where she had been thrown down, reaching high enough to cover her face when she hit the back of her head on the stones. In her daze she scrambled backwards, her ankle screaming in protest as she attempted to stand. She stumbled back, pushing her shoulders above the surface. Through the legs of the Desian she spotted Kratos making his way to her from the shore, fending off three remaining attackers. Eldrich being one of them, was busy performing healing artes on a fresh wound to his leg which left him immobilized for the current time.

The man pushed her under with both bear sized hands seizing her neck. Pain spasmed down her spine while he squeezed her throat, savagely intent on breaking her windpipe. Water pulled harshly at their limbs when they shifted back closer to the rapids. Anna struggled briefly against him, kicking and thrashing, before his fingers slackened and the heavy splash of his corpse was felt nearby. A strong hand lifted her from the freezing water to her feet.

"Thank you..." she coughed hard. Breathing was horribly painful and her head spun. Her thin fingers held fast to her savior's side to avoid being swept away. Splashing through water and the clangor of metal filled her senses as she tried to blink the clouding from her vision. Anna snatched her hand back quickly. "...If you are here then who is fighting each other?"

"Lord Kratos is battling against what remains of my men," the voice of Eldrich came from her rescuer. He concentrated deeply to complete a spell.

The warm flow of mana wrapped itself around Eldrich's final companion in an attempt to restore him. Kratos had been slashed across his shoulders and stomach but refused to slow. Anna noted how terrifying a man he must be to face on the battlefield. Her eyes followed the trail of the corpses of a half dozen men, hacked and slashed and stabbed to their deaths.

"I am truly sorry, Anna," said Eldrich as he approached her, hand extending to her exsphere.

Kratos noticed and whirled, shifting his momentum forward to throw his precious Flamberge. His skilled opponent slashed at his chest in an effort to divert the blade but it had already left his hands.

Behind the commander, Anna spotted the deadly missile and lunged to return his favor, knocking him from his balance in the confusion. Fire split through where he once stood, though unknown to them. With their footing lost, the rain-strengthened rapids sucked them both under and downstream.

Kratos and the Desian watched his blade sink into the deeper waters. The half elf gave him one glance and immediately retreated after his leader. Kratos watched him go.

Red water swirled at his feet as the Cruxis deserter carefully retrieved his blade, battered and alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**I have been rushing to get this one out and it feels to me as if that really shows. Forgive me!  
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**Something that always bothers me in fanfictions (and this is entirely a personal problem) is the presence of original characters. I know a story can be well written and fun to read even with OCs in them, but I always shy from incorporating them into my stories. I am trying to break that because I believe Anna and Kratos' survival for X amount of years would have been considerably shorter without a little help from some other friends. Please, if you enjoy rating stories, let me know what you think of the OCs I am working on in this chapter.**

**Now then... to my wonderful reviewers:**

**Divine Wolfe: Ayayayai, I am so glad you like it! The fact you reviewed twice in a row cheers me on more than you know. I will try to continue to live up to your expectations!**

**Kiomori: I know she's being bull-headed when it comes to Kratos, but I really think he's a monster when it comes to hacking people to bits. I mean, he's been doing it for_ how many years_ now? The poor girl has seen him slaughter two groups of grown men in a few hours! Taking that into consideration, I'm not going to let her warm up entirely to him for a while, hehe. I am glad you like it so far, in story and in writing.**

**oursolemnhour49: I really did not expect such a fast reply! I am very, very glad you like it so far and it's most encouraging to have you reading. Thank you!**

**And as always to the readers who don't review (though you should!), thank you for reading.**

**Jnaso**

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Sea foam swept rhythmically from the shore and back again against his body soaked heavy with salt water. He twitched and startled by sudden movements, large gulls retreated from pecking hungrily at his fingers. Eldrich lifted his head to sputter and cough, choking on sand and sea. Washed upon the beach to his side was the pale and unconscious A012. He rolled over onto his back to face the high and blinding sun of midday. Screeching gulls circled above as he fumbled with his armor, removing the enchanted loose plate from his chest to ease the pressure from his lungs. It sunk into the sand as water greedily pulled at its shining surface.

Freed from the extra weight, he rose shakily, dizzy from tumbling through the rapids. How he made it out of the river's deadly undertow he couldn't remember but he refused to complain. He did reluctantly recall the bravery of his human target as he approached her. It was likely she was dead, he knew. She was sprawled on her stomach as he had been, covered with torn and woven fabric and looking like death.

Eldrich turned her over carefully and pressed an ear to her chest. A weak thumping came slow and unsteady to reassure him, though she failed to breathe. Her lungs had ceased to function and her blood pumped with the last of her energy, harsh and desperate. Eldrich grimaced but parted her lips and exhaled deeply, forcing the air inside her.

Immediately she convulsed, choking up water onto him and herself. After each gasp she coughed harder and spat up more until he feared the strain would kill her. She to held him at the arms until it subsided, breathing gratefully and steady.

"Thank... you... again..." she said between breaths.

Eldrich shrugged her arms from him and stood wordlessly. He eyed his armor, half buried beaneth sand and lapping waves, deciding to abandon it. He stared hard at the ocean ahead of him as he found himself conflicted. Distantly he was aware of Anna's voice but he didn't listen. His attention was to his memories... the few years in which he guarded section A before rising to his current rank... Brom... and Anna...

"Eldrich!" Her voice pierced his concentration. "Answer me!"

"What?" he muttered, turning to face her.

"Are you really going to do this? End me after everything that's happened?"

"You earnestly believe you have a chance out here? Even Brom failed escape. What right have you to thrive in his place?"

She winced. "What happened to Brom is terrible... but your actions will not restore him to life."

"Nor will yours."

Anna sat quietly in the sand tenderly fingering her broken ankle. She recalled times when Eldrich had been kind and almost nurturing. The man who stood before her now was nothing like the youth she admired from her cell. This Eldrich was sick with grief and grossly misled, the years of being conditioned by Desians having morphed him into the commander he was today.

"You saved me when I should have died, Eldrich," she reminded. "Twice you could have removed this stone and completed your task. Your words are fierce but your actions are not and I would wager you have not decided in your heart what you must do."

His face reddened visibly, voice raising a notch. "Do not presume to know what it is that I am feeling! You speak with his tongue and think with his mind. Brom is dead and yet you live on with speech and sense equal to his own! _You _should have been the one to die," he said bitterly before his voice softened at her pained expression. "However, I find it unbearable to do it myself..."

"So I am condemned to die at the hands of Kvar himself shortly after you carry me back to that hell?"

Eldrich knelt at her side and slid his hands above her ankle. A warm, colorful glow enveloped the joint and her bones repositioned and knit themselves back into harmony.

"That is my intention, yes."

"Damned coward," she said venomously, rubbing her freshly mended leg. The many cuts and scrapes from being pounded into rocks had also faded. She stood beside him unhappily, a prisoner to another yet again.

Eldrich initially guessed at their location but quickly assured himself. The wide river they had been swept down began in the hills and emptied into the belly of the ocean. He knew if they continued west they would eventually stumble upon a similar waterway, though much more narrow. That would be their pathway from the sea to Luin, where he knew he would be able to easily return to the Asgard ranch by following the path through the grasslands.

For the better part of midday he did his best to ignore the ragged breathing and stumbling of his captive, but it became impossible when she tripped over a tangle of roots mostly buried in sand. She cried out in frustration as she fell flat, exhausted and unmotivated.

"We should take a rest," he declared as he lifted her into his arms without protest. Her body was so light it made him grimace inwardly. She had gotten worse since the time he was stationed outside her cell, he found to his dismay. "When was the last time you had a meal?"

"Maybe... four hours before I escaped."

Eldrich forgot his composure momentarily. "That is terrible!"

Anna let out a burst of laughter. "Oh, Eldrich," she sighed, "I always was glad you inherited a human's temperment."

He grumbled a response incoherently while avoiding her gaze. He looked and acted so human that at times she found it hard to believe he was of elven blood at all. His ears held the faintest of points and his hair was not so pale as to suggest his unique blood. She brushed rogue strands from his eyes in kindness as he carried her from the shore into the shade of trees. Eldrich studiously ignored her and she smiled faintly.

Anna must have had an obsession with foliage, she realized as they entered the wood. The fascination for which she held the most common of leaves was disquieting to both her and her half-elf companion. It was as if color dripped from the world she had forgotten. Plants were so _green_, flowers so _white,_ and the sky... oh, the sky was so blue it threatened to make her cry.

He lowered her gently to the ground. The thick smell of dirt and the passing rain was intoxicating. She looked to him, awaiting instruction.

"Stay here." It was scarcely a command.

"You are a terrible jailer," she teased, "relying on me to wait for you."

"Do you want a hot meal or not?" he grumbled before he disappeared into the growth making little sound.

Truth be told, Anna would never dare leave the slender man's side in wilderness such as this. Since her grand escape, she had managed to stumble into a battlefield, nearly perish due to her exsphere, fall down a rocky slope after having been whipped_ across the face_ by a branch of thorns, break her ankle, get strangled by an oaf of a half-elf, and get swept down white water river rapids to be relentlessly battered against its rocky bottom until nearly drowned. It was plain to see the world was going to continue to assault her and she would much rather be under the supervision of someone capable, at least until they stumbled upon civilization.

Anna wrung her hands nervously as time passed. There was hardly a breeze but she shook from the cold. Sitting quietly on a fallen trunk, she was finally able to turn to her thoughts. She frowned as she picked at the blackened bark. The Desians were hunting her down to kill her and if she didn't get away from Eldrich, he would lead her straight to them. _And what of Kratos Aurion..? Perhaps he will come for me..._ Anna thought to herself wistfully.

_Snap_.

Her ears strained and she froze.

_Snap. Snap. **Crack**_!

Anna started to her feet, eyes darting widly. Was it Eldrich? Or Kratos? Or maybe the... the Desi...

A large animal of white advanced through the shrubs and trees, its paws caked with black mud and bits of leaves. Broad ears like wings fanned from its head and flicked as it stared at her with gleaming eyes. Its muzzle twitched and he sniffed the air around her. She did her best to hold completely still and smother her fear. The strange, dog-like animal pressed its furry head to her chest and whined pitifully. It stomped broad paws against the ground, spattering her legs with mud while it snuffled and snorted.

"Nice monster," Anna said cautiously earning what appeared to be offense. It shook its green-tipped ears at her and trotted toward the trees where it had entered. "Wait," she called, forgetting her fear, "I... didn't mean to upset you."

She felt silly when she apologized to the creature and played with her hands nervously before reaching out to touch its muzzle, slow and timid. It lowered its warm, furry chin into her cupped palm briefly before prancing about her, tromping through leaves and making quite a ruckus.

She studied the animal's strange, alert eyes. "Do you... want me to follow you?"

Its whine mixed with a snort and it padded into the brush before looking back at her. Suddenly, its large ears pricked and the animal bounded off without warning.

"What was all the noise?" Eldrich asked as he emerged from the greenery.

"What noise?"

"Never mind it," he sighed before he placed a freshly slain doe near her feet. He pulled his blade from his side to skin the hide from it, unconcerned of how Anna felt of his bloody work. "Fetch some wood for a fire and make certain it is dry."

She stood awkwardly, scanning the forest, uncertain. "Oh... alright."

It felt impossible to find wood untouched by the previous night's storm. The woods were humid and the air sang with the humming of insects. Honeyed flowers of white and pale yellow grew in bunches dotting the forest floor, lush from drinking their fill. After squishing about, she glimpsed the ghostly pale figure of the strange animal darting amidst trees. She picked up pace forward, greeting the beast with a smile and a pat.

"How am I supposed to find kindling in this mess?" Anna muttered to it absently. She brushed some some stray webs and dirt from the dry, coarse coat.

The "dog" shuffled forward into a thicket, scratching at the barbs with fearsome paws. Buried beneath a bundle of spindly leaves was a den of dry branches, a nest composed by some sort of animal. Anna reached in and pulled out what she deemed appropriate before covering it once again with barbed vines, doing her best to not provoke the resident.

"Thank you very much," she said as she stood. Looking about, she realized she must have gotten turned around. The area appeared untouched, betraying nothing of the direction of camp. She frowned, frustrated. "Now how do I get back?"

A nudge pushed her to the left. She turned her head questioningly to her new friend and received a reassuring whine. She smiled and pushed forward back through the trees, thoughtful but without complaint about the animal's notable intelligence and bizarre arrival. It wasn't long before she spotted Eldrich, striking his blade with a chip of black rock to create sparks. They danced on the ground upon impact. He had already prepared the raw meat and gathered his own fuel, she realized, embarrassed. She glanced over her shoulder to see if the creature had followed her, but saw nothing but the darkened wood, shaded by the canopy above.

Eldrich lifted the thin branches from her arms and placed them on the small flame he'd been nurturing. "Thank you."

The fire was crackling happily before long and chunks of skewered, roasting meat were held lazily above the flames. Anna tried her best to hold her arms steady, mimicking her half-elf companion's expertise. The smell that drifted from the charring chunks was heavenly and her stomach growled in anticipation. When Eldrich finally deemed the meal fully cooked, she was so excited that she burnt her mouth on the pieces before allowing them to cool.

"Very charming," Eldrich said sarcastically, munching carefully on a piece of the juicy deer.

Anna ignored him and nibbled quickly, devouring her portion in minutes. He handed her what remained of his skewers kindly, taking care to remove the chips of bark that remained from the sticks they had roasted on. She gobbled them up gratefully. This had been the most satisfying meal she had ever had.

Not long after she had eaten her fill, Anna asked, "Why feed me if you are going to have me killed?"

Eldrich was cleaning his blade quietly at her side. Smoke rose from the small fire that had extinguished shortly after the meal, as calm as snowfall. The forest was darkening with the end of midday and when it seemed he would never speak, he replied, "I am taking you to Luin."

"...Luin? But why?"

"I will release you there. It is what he would have wanted me to do."

"It is what _you _want to do," she sighed, exasperated. "You said yourself you had not the stomach to slay me. Why do you not admit it?"

"What I want to do," he said as he stood, lifting her chin with his gleaming blade, "is take that exsphere and return it to Kvar so I may rise in rank again. What I want is to become a Grand Cardinal. Now, get up. I would like to arrive before nightfall."

As they walked silently, Anna could have sworn by the goddess she heard the distant sound of trickling waters. Eldrich altered their course to that direction and soon they were beside a beautiful stream of bubbling blue and white. It was unmistakably different than the one she had been swept down, she noted, watching the waters flow gracefully over and between slick and shining stones. Fish darted through the current like a flock of morning doves as birds sang their beautiful songs from the surrounding branches.

When the sun had begun to sink below the trees, Eldrich abandoned the riverside in favor of the concealment yielded by the canopy once again. Somewhere off in the distance beyond the river and the rolling plains, Anna spied spires of smoke curling into the sky, as eerie as fingers from a hand reaching for the coming stars. After a quick detour from the previous path, visible beyond a thin layer of branches were the bridges and buildings of Luin, Anna's birthplace and hometown. Surrounding it was the snaking waterway they had followed to it's door.

Eldrich had been fumbling against his leathers with a pocket of his, drawing out a green pouch of fine velvet. He pressed the heavy purse of coins into her hand. His expression was mixed yet unreadable. "Just ahead is Luin. See to it you get your fill of rest and replenishment, but please be quick about it and do not let anyone get a good look at you. That is the first place Kvar will search for you once I return empty handed."

Upon seeing the beautiful distant city, her heart fluttered as if in a dream. Her eyes sparkled as she thanked him lightheartedly, "I am counting on you to save me again next time, alright Eldrich?"

Eldrich returned her smile with a true scowl. "Anna, I will not be able to pardon you whenever it suits you. The next time you are face to face with a Desian you will be captured or murdered or worse, be it by me or any other runt following orders, or even Kvar himself. Now, get the hell out of my sight."

Something gripped her heart and shook her like grief. The sensation made her stomach twist upset. She tried to reason with his anger. "Eldrich... I was just-"

"_Go_, for goddess' sake. Go," he interrupted. He was already turning from her and disappearing into the shade. "Fill yourself to capacity with what beauty you believe this twisted world can offer you. At least then you can share it with Brom when they tear your beating heart from it."

He was gone, leaving Anna with the promise that he would never be restored to the youth that she longed to see. She stared emptily at the growth where what was left of the man she knew once stood and quietly, slowly, sank to the grass-covered ground, tears of mourning streaking down her face.

...

The cobblestone streets of Luin had always been Anna's favorite. The clicking sound that carts and shoes made on its surface was as joyous as laughter. As a girl, she would hum tunes and trot along, matching the melody with her heels and toes. The memory of the childish game cheered her briefly before she returned to dark thoughts.

"Brom..." she murmured to herself.

She did her best to remain unnoticed, a skill developed after years of avoiding provoking the Desians. She drew the torn remains of Kratos' mantle around her shoulders and clutched the fabric over her neck to hide her exsphere, but it was horridly obvious that she did not fit in here. The townspeople were all dressed in colors and shades, clean and well fed. Anna looked like a monster, having just crawled from the depths of some muddied cave into the light of day for the first time in decades. Her bare, bony feet slapped almost silently against the stone, a sad song compared to the jolly clicking of the much-more-human human's shoes.

"What's wrong with them, mommy?" One child asked his mother who eyed her suspiciously as she walked by.

Another couple, a man and his wife watched her from the windows of their merry cottage painted with tints of cream and honey. Anna scurried passed as she tried to recall the location of the inn, crossing another bridge before finally coming to the doorstep. She tried smoothing her hair and dusting her clothes off, but to little progress. Cringing with dread, she slowly opened the door to welcome the scorn of those within.

"Welcome! Can I interest you in a..." the cheerful woman at the front desk trailed off as she looked up from her work, staring at Anna with shock and concern.

Anna fumbled with the velvet pouch, pulling out a handful of shining coins. "I would like a room and a bath, please," she said timidly, avoiding the woman's gaze. After a short pause she added, "Um, how much is it, please?"

"Oh, dear," she said hurrying around the counter to help her inside. "It's 300 gald and you have plenty. Come here, dear, let me help you up these pesky stairs and into your room and we'll get you a bath and a meal right away."

Anna felt awkward with the lady's arm around her as they ascended the stairs. Assistance felt so foreign to her. When they reached the room, Anna thanked her and handed her the coins, adding a little extra to quiet her concerns. She assured the inn keeper of her well being before she closed the door, grateful to be alone again after her parade across town.

"I'll send a maid up when your bath is drawn," the plump woman called through the door.

Anna could hear her plodding back down the stairs. "Thank you!"

The room was painted a cream color trimmed with white. Against the wall in the center of the room was a bed big enough for two covered in gray-blue blankets. Anna touched the fabric longingly and the softness seemed unreal. She sat on the bed as she played with the bedding in disbelief. Tears were welling up in her eyes. The weight of her imprisonment for the last few years was leaving her and the sensation was startling, amazing, and frightening.

A knock at the door broke her from her daze. Wiping her eyes, she stood and approached the handle, twisting it open.

She had expected the visitor to be the maid. Instead, the red headed mercenary stood over her with the plump inn keeper looking questioningly to Anna from behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Reviews:**

**oursolemnhour49: Gah. Fixed the name mistakes. Thank you for reminding me! I originally was going to have their names Eldric and Bram, but I preferred Eldrich... and as for Bram, well... (Bram and Anna) sounds too much like (banana)... Just another personal problem. I digress. At any rate, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Divine Wolfe: Thank you, thank you. *bows*  
**

**AndieArmstrong: Glad you like it, here you go!**

**To all other readers too shy or busy to review, thank you kindly for reading. Without further ado, chapter four:

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"This is amazing," she breathed before a large, silly grin broke across her face. She giggled, unable to contain herself. Every minute spent in Luin made her feel more and more like a human. The moment she had left the confines of the ranch she slowly began to remember how to see and hear and feel with all the intensity of a normal, healthy girl. Anna's thoughts briefly drifted back to Eldrich's parting words. _I will live what I have left to the fullest, _she resolved, puffing her chest zealously, _and I will tell Brom all about it._

Warm, white mist filled the air of the tiny bathing room. Anna shifted in her washtub, a large, wooden container roughly the size of her bed. Was it coincidence that everything seemed rather large in this inn? The plump owner came to mind before she shook the rude thoughts from her head. Foaming bubbles threatened to spill over the side as she swirled about, enjoying the weightlessness and warmth. The formula mixed in the water had been an extra treat from the woman at the front desk_. _When Anna inquired of its ingredients the woman grinned proudly, conceding in her hearty voice, "a blend of oils, honey, orange rind, mint leaves, and cloves, dear. It's the pride and joy o' the house!"

"That lady was not kidding," Anna murmured to herself. She reached for a handled brush her hostess had graciously provided and put it to good use. The scrubbing made her feel clean and fresh. It was ecstasy, pure ecstasy. She ran her hands across her skin and hair that felt so soft it was as if she had been born anew. Blissfully, Anna sank below the thick layer of bubbles.

A series of knocks on the wooden door startled her. "Everything's alright in there, dear?" The voice of the owner called from the room outside.

"Oh, yes! Everything is fine. I am almost done."

"Your friend asked me to check on you," she spoke the word 'friend' uncertainly. Anna stood and wiped the foam from her body back into the water white as milk before stepping out. "Sorry to bother you, dear, take your time! I'll not badger you to rush yourself."

"Oh, no, it is quite alright," Anna assured. The only reply was the quiet, indicating she had already shuffled away.

She approached a small mirror at the side of the room, wiping fog from its surface. The shadow of a mortal woman stared at her with dark eyes and skin blushed from warm water. She traced the dark marks under her lids and along her thin jaw with her bony fingers. Memories of the deceased had begun to sober her and the sight of her corpse-like body set a weariness on her shoulders. She smiled bravely at her reflection before it misted over again, recalling the younger brother's guidance and encouragement. She could feel it, a warm blanket wrapping around her heart: Brom always wanted them to be free, Eldrich's spite be damned. She was determined to live as best she could for all of them.

Kratos was leaning against the far wall when she returned, peering through the window to watch the world blanketed by night, an empty expression stamped onto his features. Few words had been exchanged between them following his arrival. Most of the chatter had been an incessant barrage of questions from their hostess which Kratos easily cut off with his taciturnity. He wore the same tattered, battle-scarred clothes he had when they had been separated, though the rain had washed out the majority of the blood. Nevertheless, the woman thought him completely mad and left shortly after Anna offered to pay double the cost of the room, adding a couple heart-touching lies concerning their journey which Kratos had reluctantly confirmed. Fleetingly, she felt as though he looked so incredibly _old _standing there in the dim lamplight, even if his appearance suggested he was only slightly older than she.

"Do you have elven blood?" she asked, ruffling her hair with the towel once again.

"No."

The brevity of his explanations would have a difficult time spoiling her mood tonight. Kratos could feel her happiness radiating outward. He watched her uneasily as she fumbled with a cotton dress borrowed from the hefty woman at the front desk. It hung even more loosely from her than his coat had, perilously close to slipping off due to its size. Ignoring it, she scaled the bed, climbing up to sit on the powdered sheets. A battle ensued as she fought with the sleeves, pulling one up as the other fell down repeatedly, before she huffed and bundled the fabric in her hand and clutched it over her heart. It was a while before she looked up and noticed him staring. A quiet stream of giggles shook her tiny frame and she smiled, giddy and embarrassed.

Kratos abandoned the wall to sit beside her once she gestured an invitation. It was out of politeness that he had come to see things through, he reminded himself. The responsibility for her freedom was his but he would much rather be rid of it. Perhaps he could set her up with some light type of work in a smaller town far away. Or maybe he would be able to locate some willing family or friends of hers and pass the burden onto them.

There was a tugging at his conscience and a bothersome thought that roused him to speak. "Do you intend to locate your family?"

"No. I have a father and a sister but to be with them would bring unwanted attention. I do not wish to place them in the path of harm." The brown orbs she had averted focused on his once again. He could see the seriousness in her eyes. As far as she was concerned, she would always remain lost to them. A wise decision. She shifted the subject to him, "Do you have any relatives?"

Kratos' family had died so long ago he could barely recall their faces. The mere concept of 'family' had withered and dried up along with his mortality.

His reluctance to reply was enough to answer the question. Anna frowned. "I am sorry," she said softly.

"It happened a very long time ago. Think nothing of it."

The silence that followed was an uncomfortable one. In its place, Anna began humming a tune, soft and strange. The melody was sad and one Kratos could recall having never heard before. The music stopped short when she jerked her head to the window and the blackness beyond it. He listened but heard nothing startling, even with his excellent senses. He watched her slowly turn her head back to stare at the flickering lamp on a corner table and began to believe her stay in the human ranch had driven her insane, though with good reason.

"I appreciate the gentleness with which you treat me," she said eventually, her expression distant and thoughtful. "At first I was certain you were going to torture and kill me, but the way you sit here content to hear me at my own pace... is very kind of you."

She held her hands clasped together tightly over her lap. Kratos placed his sheathed sword on the floor at their side as a sign he did not intend to leave or fight here. The gesture seemed to give the wanted effect, as Anna practiced her smiling on him once again. Kratos tried to appear less intimidating in response. "Does that Desian officer have some relation to the Angelus Project?"

"Eldrich? Yes, he does," she looked at him skeptically, "but I think we both understand by now, I have nothing to offer you on the subject that you do not already know."

Kratos disagreed. He had read through the reports on the vile purpose of the human ranches. He knew plenty of exspheres-more than he cared to. However, it was Kvar's relatively recent interest in farming Cruxis crystals he failed to study. Yggdrasil understood his disapproval for his plan long before Kratos chose to voice it, and felt no need to burden him with uncertain experiments. As such, any information was more than he had, though what he would use it for he didn't yet know.

He could see Anna knew something was amiss. She had been willing to accept his identity as a mercenary but it was clear she didn't fully believe it. Had she not recognized him from his inspection of the Asgard ranch's facilities, he may have been able to convince her. Now, however, she continued to answer his claims of ignorance with uncertain stares. "Explain," he requested, pushing aside his personal thoughts.

"Well," she whispered to herself before speaking up. "Remember when I mentioned A014, Brom?"

Kratos nodded.

"Brom was Eldrich's younger brother. He was wonderfully brilliant. They arrived from some far off place I had never heard of before... Seth Amalla or something... However," Anna frowned, "unlike Eldrich, Brom was researching a new form of cultivation for the development of Cruxis crystals. The foul part for the Desians was that it could only be implemented on half elves. When Brom revealed this to the head of the department, he went straight to Kvar. As punishment for implying threats against their race they used his own technique on him. They also punished Eldrich by forcing him to guard our cells to watch as his only brother withered and died."

Her voice trailed off before she continued, "Eldrich tried to make it easy on us when they left him on watch alone. Those boys reminded me of how to speak and laugh, which is why-perhaps you have noticed-my manner of speech resembles his. Brom told us everything about the research they were doing and what tests I was heading to or returning from. Those two made it a little more bearable to be there."

"Did his exsphere ever develop into a Cruxis crystal?" Kratos asked as mildly as he could manage.

"I do not know. It is my belief that it did not. Should it have been successful, more prisoners would have arrived following its removal. Brom was the last to suffer those experiments in my presence... but despite their reasoning for burdening him with it, I think they would have employed the technique on their own kind had it yielded what they were seeking."

Kratosnappeared thoughtful for a moment. "Why would Eldrich spare you and escort you here? They'll kill him if they figure it out."

She held his gaze. "It is not like you to ask unnecessary questions purely out of curiosity."

He tensed and turned away, to her amusement. "My, my," she laughed lightly, "no need to be so serious. Eldrich and I... well, I suppose you could say we had mutual feelings for each other... to the extent one can in a human ranch. I think he was acting upon that."

"I see."

A small smile played on Anna's lips as she looked at her companion. She could feel trust developing between them while they spoke. _The same trust_, she mused, _Eldrich and I once shared._

She shifted and played with a soft strand of her hair while looking around the room. Kratos observed her wordlessly. The wonder and appreciation in her eyes somehow fanned the flames of his guilt. The path he allowed himself to walk down at the side of Mithos had led to scores of people placed in spiritual states like this and her change in status from experiment to fugitive had only him to blame. Everything from her inability to see her family to her protruding ribs, from her physical frailty to her distrust, from the exsphere at her throat to the unsettling way she was currently staring at the desk lamp with fascination; it was his fault. Everything.

"I do not know what you are brooding over to cause you to look so scary," she said, leaning to gently brush the knotted hair from Kratos' eyes the way she always had done for Eldrich, "but I think you should take a bath. It does wonders and maybe it will lift your spirits. Besides, you absolutely _reek_."

"Hmm.. forgive me," he said as he stood and gathered his weapon, "I didn't intend to offend you."

With a solid click, the door shut behind him. Anna stared at it feeling slightly rude before she rose. The moon was high in the sky when she looked before blowing out the lamp and returning to the bed for her first night of hospitable rest in a very, very long time.

...

The sun had broken over the horizon a handful of hours ago, and yet here he stood, freshly washed in the river far back away from town, still waiting for the girl to wake. He tapped his fingers against his arm, both of which were folded tightly across his chest. Kratos found the thought of sleeping a little baffling. When he was young, it had often been a waste of precious time. But over the centuries, that time lost its preciousness and he frequently longed to take his Cruxis crystal off to escape into the harmless realm of dreams. He never attempted it. Such actions were forbidden by Yggdrasil, who frowned on weaknesses.

Anna rustled about in the sheets. "Is that you?" she asked, sitting up from bed. Her hair was tangled and strange from tossing around through the night. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," he replied as she swung her feet off the bed, rubbing her eyes. "We can't stay here all day. This isn't a vacation."

After a grand yawn and a stretch, Anna looked at him strangely. "...We? What do you mean 'we'?"

"You said yourself you felt your presence would endanger anyone at your side. The Desians will be searching this town before the end of the day." He approached her as she stood. Kratos had spent the better portion of the night dwelling on what to do about the girl. He had lived over four thousand years refusing to take responsibility for the things he did and did not do. The decision was obvious if he truly wanted to atone. "I am a mercenary. As long as you can pay me, I will guard you safely to someplace you can settle in far away from here."

"_Pay _you to _guard _me?" Anna repeated, incredulous. "You have got to be joking. What happened while I slept? Have you gone mad? I don't have any money, and if I did I would never pay the crazed assassin who infiltrated a human ranch to ask a prisoner obscure questions to guard me anywhe-"

Kratos silenced her with a hand over her mouth. "Lower your voice. An inn is home to all who seek rest," he reminded, "friends or enemies."

"My apologies, Lord Kratos," she mocked, irritated as she shoved his hand away.

Kratos sighed, irritated as well. He couldn't continue dragging her around by the arm for the rest of his infinite lifespan. He moved to the desk, snatching up the green purse that had been abandoned the night before. Before Anna could protest, he explained, "This will be more than enough to get us as far as Hima. From there we should be able to seek passage to Izoold. It's a small port on the other continent... it should serve you just fine."

There was nothing she could do to argue as the mercenary opened their wooden door to reveal the stairs. Anna reluctantly trotted forward, padding down the steps unhappily while holding the folds of fabric over her exsphere. She wished with all her heart to remain in Luin, as unlikely as that was to come true. The woman at the front desk bid her a jolly farewell and she promised to return her borrowed dress as soon as she could.

"Oh, dear, you keep that old thing as long as you like!"

Anna smiled appreciatively before her companion exited ahead of her. "So much for developing trust," she grumbled to herself before taking to the street, "this man is a damned lunatic."

Luin by day was far more captivating than Luin by night. The air was charged with energy, the streets full of busy townspeople scuttling off to wherever they needed to be. Most seemed relatively jolly, wearing smiles or chatting incessantly over gossip. Anna yearned for that sort of life and briefly wondered if her father or sister were somewhere in town, aged over the years unrecognizable to her. Anna didn't know how long she had been prisoner at the Asgard human ranch, and she didn't want to figure it out. It made little difference to her if it had been three years or thirteen; the result was the same.

Kratos took immediate notice in her change of mood. "Anna," he tried distracting her, "you'll need better clothing for traveling. That merchant appears to have some decent wares, let's take a look."

Anna felt her heart jump at the sight of new clothing. The thought of wearing well fitted items excited her and she fell in love at first sight with a simple, scallop-edged mantle with black fasteners. She looked to Kratos to plead for the jacket, but he had disappeared down the street, far more interested in what the weapon smith had to offer.

"Lookin' for somethin' in particular, miss?" An elderly man approached her from behind the counter.

"Oh, well, you see..." Anna fidgeted nervously before collecting herself. "I am going.. on a pilgrimage. Father urged me to buy better clothes to travel in before the journey and my sister suggested this shop..."

The man grinned, "Well you've come to the right place! My wife hand sews all the clothes for you ladies, be it boots or leathers or furs so fine you could swear-"

"Um, actually," Anna interrupted, "about the boots. I would love to see them. As you see, my feet are quite bare and I am in need of-"

"Right this way!" He led her behind a series of shelves, each decorated with various types of gloves, hats, and shoes. Near the far wall sat the heavier footwear, the man recommending the prettier (and most expensive) pair automatically. Anna pointed delicately to a set of simple dark brown leather boots, lacking any fine stitchery or accessories. It seemed silly to purchase something expensive and decorated if you were just going to stomp through mud in them. She tried them on and smiled. They were a little loose, but much better than nothing.

"There anythin' else you be wantin' today, miss?"

"If you please, sir, how much for the mantle in the front?"

He stroked his thin whiskers thoughtfully, "the brown one? Wouldn't you mind a colorful one better, miss? We have some lovely pink-"

"No, no," she urged the man uncomfortably, "I'd much prefer something more natural if I am going to be traveling." _Or hiding in dirt and rocks,_ she thought with disdain.

By then Kratos reappeared in the open entrance, a small pointed weapon bound in coarse paper and twine in his hand. He eyed the boots on the counter and looked at her approvingly before joining them. "You should consider purchasing some leggings as well," he advised.

In the end, Anna left to change in the back room filled with supplies. It seemed to take her forever to figure out how to put the items on, and she dreaded returning to the shop after having made them wait so long. She stumbled trying to put the leggings on, nearly knocking over a series of hung pelts before deciding it best to sit. She slipped on the boots made of brown, boiled leather, excited to not cut her feet against every rock and stick the woods had to offer.

She paused before removing the over sized cotton dress from herself. "I think I will hang onto it after all," she decided, tucking its folds into the mantle as she shrugged it on. To her pleasure, the collar was just high enough to cover her exsphere and swollen, blackened veins around it. As she fumbled with the fastenings, a slight commotion rose from outside. Someone was yelling... or perhaps just speaking sternly. She couldn't hear it well enough to tell. She shook her head at the thought of Kratos' lack of personable qualities, blaming the ruckus on him.

She started to approach the doorway from the storage room back to the shop. A loud clatter behind her caused her to stop short and whirl around, a large, white animal coming into view. It clumsily bumped into a set of shoe stretchers, knocking more to the floor. Anna ran over to her furry friend, throwing her arms around its neck happily.

"I would never have thought to see you here!" She exclaimed, pulling back to look it in its twinkling eyes. "How did you get in?"

The creature nudged her toward the sewing machines, passed the racks of colorful coats and blouses. A thin wooden door was cracked open in the corner, light spilling into the musty room. Dust danced in the bright beam, swirling and dancing as the dog-like animal pushed outside to the back of the street. Anna followed, looking back once when angry shouts echoed through the room from the other direction. Anna thought briefly of Kratos and the shopkeeper before giving in to her curiosity and following out the back door.

"Wait," she called to it, "I just have to go back and see about my friend. I will return shortly, so please stay here."

She turned and rounded the square building. A warning bark escaped the large beast's muzzle, but she was already at the front corner by the time she realized what had happened. The street was utterly empty. She stopped short in the shadows, peeking around to the front of the building.

Desians.

From the looks of it only a quarter of a dozen, but they were here in Luin, searching for her. Kratos was arguing with them about something, but she couldn't quite understand it. She was about to take another step for a bettr view when something caught her coat and tugged her back. The animal had pulled her away from the street to try and safeguard her. She put her hand on its head and gave it a reassuring pat, returned with a low whine. Anna glanced back to the road before looking back at the beast. The heavy tromping of boots could be heard from down the street. Shouts had begun to ring out in the distance.

"...We better get out of here," she told it. The beast lowered itself and seemed to gesture for her to climb on. She did so, clutching the thick, green and white fur with both hands. "Do you think he will be alright?"

The creature snorted as if to say it was obvious before bounding down the cobblestone alleyway, so sudden and quick that she nearly lost her grip and went tumbling. Anna squealed before steadying herself. It was true that Kratos was more than capable of handing a few skilled opponents and his wounds were mysteriously healed and armor repaired this morning, but she still felt sick with worry.

Luin passed in a flash without interference from Desians. It was as if the creature understood who she was and the predicament she was in. When they finally reached the strangely unguarded bridge which led to the rolling grassland, it paused and let out a loud, high howl.

Anna watched Luin nervously, expecting flames to engulf the houses, Desians parading through the streets littered with corpses, swords slick with blood. The scenario never occurred.

"Oh... my... goddess..." Anna whispered as she spotted near one of the opposite bridges a figure that looked strangely like her guardian mercenary, running in their direction. Trailing behind him was a fleet of armed half elves, fifteen to twenty, directed from the opposite side of town by the quick yet young commander Eldrich. Kratos pressed his fingers to his mouth, whistling loudly. Her mount tensed and stood stock still until the mercenary gestured to the far off hills.

"I was right, he is completely insane!" Anna screamed as the dog took off at full speed away from the town. It had responded to Kratos' commands with the eerie intelligence she continued to attempt to ignore. Anna held fast to the thick pelt as she watched the beautiful blue sky darken rapidly into a swirling mass of ill omens. Her animal darted into the concealment of a rocky knoll, turning them both to witness the distant band of half elves become enveloped in bright pillars of light descending from the black sky. A delayed, deafening roar threatened to crack their eardrums and her furry companion yelped and barked in labored pain.

"What... is that?" She cried into its fur, burying her face in terror as she shielded her head with her hands. The flash had left spots over her vision and her head was throbbing. The animal was shaking it off, rustling its fur and snorting wildly, jostling her as it stomped. When Anna dared look up again, the light began evaporating, thin electric tendrils flickering in its place before disappearing entirely. Anna nuzzled the furry shoulders of her large friend, tears spilling from her eyes.

_Kratos... Eldrich..._

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_**Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter is short. Short, but better than nothing. Sorry it has taken so long for the update. College approaches for me as I am starting late in Spring semester, work has been hectic due to Christmas, and I am busy with commissions and projects. Enough excuses, onto the reviews:**

**oursolemnhour49: I try very hard to keep Kratos in character, so I'm glad you would say that! Thank you.**

**AndieArmstrong: Hehe, I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of the jealous sides of both characters in the future. Thank you!  
**

**Divine Wolfe: Thank you much! If you haven't played the first game, you should at least look at the Tales of Fandom videos on YouTube for a better look at Kratos. They're fun. :)  
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**Jnaso  


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Light flashed in a sinister, deadly fashion before dissipating; the jagged tendrils stabbed deep into the earth before receding. The sharp lines flickered and vanished as if the devastation had began with a simple stroke of lightning. Smoke-or was it steam?-ascended slowly from the field, churning from the blackened patches of grass evaporating into the air. Anna was distanced too far to see the details, but she could hear the groans and screams of men, smell the seared flesh and bone, and see the figures scattered across the ground. Some dragged themselves across the bare ground before finally settling for death. Anna slipped off from her mount's back, shakily placing her feet on the ground. The sight of their suffering filled her with an unfamiliar feeling. Was it pity?

She stumbled forward, vision still clouded with the impressions of the long since faded beams of light. She felt sorrow for them, those Desians. Had Kvar done this in an effort to destroy she and Kratos? If so, how did he possess so much magical power and the wits to wield it?

The sight of the impact was shrouded in a powdery mist. Like dust, it clung to Anna's face and hands. She slipped forward on something before steadying herself, straining to see what it was.

The haze was clearing. A mass of thick blue coils trailed from her feet in a gruesome path leading to a man's torso, torn away from his pelvis and lower limbs. Her hands flew up to her mouth in terror as the man's mouth moved silently, red spilling from behind his teeth and over his jaw. The helmet obscured his upper face, for which she was thankful. She had heard a half-elf superstition at the ranch more than once: to look a dying man in the eyes brings you closer to death yourself.

His silent pleas ceased shortly after he was discovered. "What... the _hell_," she cried, voice cracking as she employed her curses and danced around limbs and disembodied organs. Slime-like blood didn't cover the grass nearly as much as she would have expected; most of the parts had seemingly disintegrated from the rest of the body. The majority of the gore on the field was remnants of living beings: skin, hair... Anna even noted fingers. What few bodies were left whole had wounds melted shut with blackened skin and fat. The smell was unforgiving, suffocating her with incredible thickness and foul odor. She fought to hold her stomach still, shaking from shock and illness.

Most of the band had been taken by the strange blast, though some had managed to dodge the fatal strikes, retreating to the safety of Luin. The town had been spared thanks to Kratos and Anna thought of him desperately, searching for him amongst the ruin of bodies and torn earth. Her search yielded nothing of his person, save for scraps of the familiar fabrics he had worn.

Fear paralyzed Anna at the thought of being alone. The light padding of feet advanced behind her, the snuffling and whining of the mysterious animal accompanying the step. Anna gnawed at her lip with frantic nervousness, peering at the disheveled city of Luin a short distance off.

The footsteps that approached became too many and too quick.

"Change in plans," Kratos grumbled, passing her by without slowing. "We're heading toward Asgard. Come, Noishe."

The giant, wing-eared animal followed along his side, looking to him obediently all the while.

Anna spun about in disbelief before trotting at his heels, stammering. "Wait, what? We are- what- we are going where? How did you- You look terrible! Stop- We can not go anywhere with you like this. What just happened? What was that back there? Are they dead? Did Kvar do that somehow- And to his own men? Where is Eldrich- Did he follow you? Where were you?" The battered mercenary continued forward without breaking his stride or saying a word. Anna gritted her teeth, frustrated and confused. She reached for his shoulder, grabbing him tight and jerking him to face her. Her pull did nothing to budge him, though he did whirl, unsheathing his burning short sword and bringing it around in a deadly arc. If Anna hadn't stumbled back in surprise, the blade would have sliced clean across her delicate neck. Instead, it bit into her airborne hair, singeing it slightly.

She stood with her hands up in surrender, unmoving except for a series of shakes caused by the scare. "Do you raise your sword to all those you swear to protect?" Anna's words almost made him wince.

"I'm sorry," Kratos apologized after shaking his head to clear his thoughts, "I did not mean to startle you. I... was not myself. Forgive me."

Anna continued to stare at him with the same frozen look of shock. The animal named Noishe approached her and licked at her hand, attempting to comfort her with a whine. She had definitely begun to question Kratos' method of silencing her questions, that much was certain. _He _is _completely mad, _she confirmed with herself as she trailed behind at a safe distance, her desire for answers suddenly evaporated. The company of Noishe was much preferred as it was. At the least, the creature never tried to kill her.

It wasn't long before they were sheltered by the cover of trees and Kratos had effortlessly arranged a small fire. Though midmorning had scarcely begun to wither, the crackling warmth shared with Anna its much welcomed familiarity. An uneasy shadow spilled across her mind as she settled down near the flames. A cold, gnawing memory which had been buried temporarily scratched for her attention. She looked hopefully to Kratos who still dwelt in his inapproachable brooding for distracting conversation. There was a distance in his eyes that suggested the idea as out of the question.

He was digging through his traveler's bag for something. When he pushed a yellowed fruit into her hands, Anna found her words. She tried not to sound suspicious as she asked, "Why were you at the human ranch?"

"You can't always choose who you work for. I haven't always acted in the service of good people."

"Mercenary business?" She pried but received no reply.

Anna sat quietly nibbling at the apple. The fruit was ripe and juicy, its deliciousness only further amplified by her years of starvation. She felt as though each bite was chewed much too quickly and she dreaded finishing it, worried she may never enjoy another one again. She slowly crunched at the remaining portion surrounding the center, the sweet ivory flesh snapping back to reveal the tiny black seeds within the core. Anna plucked them out to investigate before poking them into the softened dirt, daydreaming of an endless forest of apple trees... her own private orchard. The daydream vanished as quickly as it had come. "Hey, Kratos?"

He glanced up at her with a grunt as he peeled the bark from a handful of thick twigs. He had produced stringy, fresh meat from a pouch in his bag which sat safely on a collective of leaves. Anna had little idea of where he had gotten it from. For that matter, she had little idea how he managed to salvage that bag of his from all the earlier chaos. Her eyes fixed to the meat, red and soft, before she tore herself to look away.

She continued, determined to wring a conversation from him. "What was your life like before you became a mercenary?"

"I was once commander of a royal guard," he confessed, looking to her shortly before testing the branches once more, "as was my father before me."

"...Are you serious?" Anna asked in disbelief, half at the response and half that he had even bothered to give it. Kratos smiled wryly at her distrust while he worked. _Goddess, he is smiling, _she thought while watching suspiciously, _he is toying with me after all._ She huffed, embarassed for fleetingly believing him.

Kratos became increasingly aware how unusually quiet it had become. Anna was sitting at the fireside, hands upon her knees drawn up to her chin, staring deeply into the flames. The meat slowly blackened. Her mouth was parted slightly, as if to say something, but her expression indicated she was elsewhere, far away in the realm of thoughts. A disturbingly similar look to the vacant ones worn by the residents of the human ranch. Kratos watched her with mounting disquiet. He prodded at the burning branches, showering sparks upwards into the sky. Anna didn't take notice. It was only when he removed a strip of their well-cooked meal and tried offering it to her that she finally reacted.

"_NO!_" The scream that rose from her was inhuman, so shrill and fierce that it sounded as if it tore her vocal chords apart. Anna swiped blindly at him and Kratos jerked back, surprised. She buried her face in her arms and began sobbing with all her strength, her body rocking with each cry and gasp for breath.

_She's thinking of their corpses, _he realized. He gathered the offending pieces and tossed them far to the side to be rid of them. A waste, but one of his fault. He had forgotten the fragile state of mind possessed by normal humans, having grown used to the brutality of slaughter long ago. He had lived through the end of the Kharlan War and four thousand years of suffering. The number of times he had employed his angelic magic against the living had long ago been lost to him. For him to have resorted to using Judgment earlier sickened him with disgust and self-loathing. Had he forgotten his intent to atone for his sins? He shouldn't have butchered them without hesitance. There could have been another way to survive the situation, even if it had cost him the girl's life. By observing Mithos, Kratos found it incomprehensible to harm many for the sake of one.

"Anna," he said gently in his voice laced with its appropriate hardness, "what happened wasn't caused by you."

"Regardless of who is to blame," Anna pressed her head into her arms further as she cried, "those people were _butchered_."

"You pity those who tortured you and doomed you to wither until your death?"

"I do. Goddess, it makes me sick, but I do. They are flesh and bone and they _feel_, the same as any human! They have husbands and wives and children. They laugh... though mostly cruelly... but I have heard them! I have known two as my friends."

"Still they choose to murder your kind." Kratos' guilt embittered his voice. Her fortune in befriending half-elves at the ranch must have impacted her opinion. "Misguided, misinformed, evil or afraid-whatever their reasons may be, you don't curse them for it? They've robbed you of your life."

Anna' sobbing slowly waned before ceasing. She lifted her head slowly, eyes red and wet from tears, the misty orbs locking onto her companion with certainty yet emptiness. "Then I shall die a victim. I see no need to further the tragic cycle."

There was a strong desire in Kratos then, a burning need to take the blame. There was an unmistakable certainty that all he wanted at that moment was to finally take the hit from someone else. It seemed ironic that he should seek it from someone so empathetic and forgiving as Anna. So many people in those dirty cells and he wound up with the painfully rational one.

"Kratos," she said quietly with flowing tears, "I know you are aware that I do not trust in your facade."

In the following silence, not even the fire had comments. The crackles offered no response and neither did Kratos. The cold wind blew, stirring the leaves and Anna's hair as she calmly stood.

"I... am a very observant person. I have had to be," she said, facing him with eyes averted. "Desians who address you as 'Lord' fear you. You are fierce in battle, and if you are burdened with a wound, you mend it when I am not present with amazing effectiveness. Are you truly not a half-elf?"

Kratos remained seated at the fire with Noishe at his side, meeting her prying eyes with his usual stare. He felt the dull throb caused by using magic in his hands. At his back was the warm, tingling sensation of the wings contained within him. She was smart and quick to learn, easy company for Kratos. He was tempted to tell her, but he held his mask in place and said nothing.

"I would believe you were one but I have never witnessed you eat or sleep, nor do you ever tire. And where they were cut down and I thought you lost, you emerged untouched." As the thought passed her lips, Anna's brows furrowed. Kratos saw her toy with the possibility that he was the source of the chaos. "Kratos... you..."

"I do not have elven blood in me," he offered her before she chose to rattle on about her speculations further. She quieted with the added confusion, much to his thanks. "It would be wise to take this chance to put as much distance between our pursuers as possible. This way."

The flames were small enough to cause him no worry about muffling them. They abandoned it, though not without Anna's protest, before heading in the direction that Kratos claimed was south.

The reason Kratos was unhurt when so many had been killed had become abundantly clear. Though she had never witnessed him use anything other than his sword in battle, she knew the spell that tore half-elves and land apart was caused by him. Anna's eyes flicked from the ground to her companion's back as they returned to the grasslands, her confusion and apprehension mixed with the words of a memory which rang clear as a bell: _'Do you raise your sword to all those you swear to protect?_' How long would it be before he thought it useful to dispose of her or turn her in?

Anna tried to understand why they would abandon the original plan to head west to Hima. Though the promise of a life as a seaport wench or a fishmonger's wife was hardly appealing, nothing came to mind of the benefits offered by the Windy City. She had heard of it in her youth infrequently, muttered only by travelers and pilgrims who had stopped by Luin for rest. Kratos must have thought it useless to abandon her in Izoold where she would try to live out her life as best she could. The trust that had developed at the inn as they had talked evaporated with Anna's realizations. _They fear and know his face. They address him with respect._ _This man is some kind of Desian Cardinal or worse, _she thought_, and he's killing his own underlings... To think I was almost convinced otherwise._

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**Reviews are welcome motivation, inspiration, and advice!**_  
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	6. Chapter 6

**Been away for yet another stretch of time. Lots going on, lots to do.**

**Anyone ever wonder how in the world they got around things like, bathroom breaks in the middle of a desert in Tales of Symphonia? The original video game cast sometimes had almost 9 people with them at times. You just gotta wonder how they worked the awkward stuff out in places with no civilization for miles. Kind of strange.**

**Jnaso  
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**Without further ado, chapter six:

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Anna followed Kratos the same way a beaten prisoner should accompany their overlord. Trailing behind him, she marveled at his tirelessness. Each step was effortlessly balanced and she noted with quiet sadness that he had not once looked back to check on her. The trust she felt developing between them only just earlier had completely evaporated. In its place, cautious apprehension. It seemed sad but true that this man had been sent to lead her back to the ranch in a roundabout way. Anna rubbed her hands together and looked down at herself. The clothing they had ran off without purchasing was beautiful in a simple way, but only worsened her mood. _He is very good at what he does,_ she thought sadly as she played with the hems, _tricking those who trust him and making them believe they are safe._

Noishe had long since disappeared from them. The active animal bounded away shortly after they set off from their previous camp.

Anna carefully planted each step in her over sized boots. Her feet felt raw inside the leather and begged for rest. She could feel that other than her feet, there was something terribly wrong with her. Her mind was swimming between doubt and the memory of those poor half-elves, broken and dying outside of Luin. It was haunting her, gnawing at her. The thought of her companion as the one responsible sickened her. Her head was pounding and her eyes were stinging. They burned behind her eyelids in an unnatural way. She shut them frantically, trying to moisten them to no avail. Her mouth and lips were dry and sandy. Anna stopped in her tracks on the uneven path to avoid tripping, aware that it would bring attention to her from the most unwelcome person currently available.

The steps of Kratos ceased and approached her. Anna rubbed her eyes gently with both hands, trying to relieve them. The pain was something different than usual, as if sand had been poured behind her lids. She began to cry, but no tears would come to ease her.

Kratos tried to seat her but she wouldn't budge. It would have been a simple matter to lift her and force her down, but he realized it was as he feared: she was afraid of him.

"Anna," he tried to gently say her name, though it came out in its usual, hard way. "You must sit down and rest. The stress is making your exsphere work faster."

She abandoned the futility of rubbing and heavily seated herself on the dirty road with her head in her hands. Her lungs felt as dry as her eyes. With each breath it felt as though they would crumble and turn to dust. She could hear Kratos fumbling with the fasteners of his pack. A heavy skin of water was pressed against her and she took it, sipping it sparingly and blindly. The feeling of being drained did not cease, though she felt her eyes and lungs begin to dampen. She opened her eyes to find Kratos kneeling in front of her, expression as barren and unwelcoming as usual.

"Kratos," she heard herself say in a cracked and weary voice, "can we please just go back?"

"We would be walking into their hands if we went back to Luin. We're heading south to throw them off our trail before we head northwest to Hima."

Anna clutched the container of liquid in both hands and studied it hard. So many things had happened since she broke free from the ranch and there was so much she still wanted to see. It seemed such a waste that Eldrich had pardoned her and set her free in Luin only to have let the true threat happily back into her company. She lifted her gaze and looked at Kratos. She thought to herself how lovely he would look if he smiled or laughed. His eyes were dark and unforgiving, but she held those in her view as well. She felt sorry that he was what he was. "I did not mean return to Luin. I meant return to the ranch."

Kratos took the water from her hands and capped the pouch. The way she was peering into him was unnerving. Anna's breathing was still shaky and careful but she stood all the same and sat inches in front of him. He finished sealing his bag and knelt, surprised and unmoving as Anna wrapped her thin, mantle-clad arms around his neck. She was small and fluttering like a bird. He could see her hair was thinning and unhealthy from her poor diet and guilt filled him once again.

"Kratos, please, let's just stop this stupid game."

He pushed her back off of him awkwardly, and betrayed a questioning look. "Didn't you want to be free?"

Anna shook as her tears returned to her. It felt like she would crumble under the large hands on her shoulders. "_I do want to be free, _but I know what you were sent here to do. I see it every time. The way they look at you and address you. The way you lie to me about who you really are," her voice wavered as she spoke. "I know where you will take me eventually, even if I do not understand why you insist on butchering them as they pursue me."

"This is ridiculous," he said as he stood and reached for their supplies.

The wind blew bitterly where Anna was, staring through the ground into nothingness. There was so much beauty in the world that she had seen, and more that she knew she would never look upon. Her thoughts drifted to Brom and the other captives that shared the cells with her. Each of them had longed to see the world one last time before they had finally given up or were taken away and each of them were as beautiful as anything Anna chanced upon out here. She missed them, she realized. She missed all of them.

She could hear Kratos rummaging for something through his bag. Anna relieved the uppermost clasp of her mantle and pressed a hand to her exsphere embedded deep between her collarbones. It felt hot and pulsating under her fingertips. She was picking at the edges when Kratos noticed and pulled her hand away. He gently refastened the coat across her neck.

"You once said that there was something that you wish to atone for," she spoke calmly now as she stood and began following him down the path, "what is it?"

"As I said, I haven't always been in the service of good people."

"And you believe to be in the service of good people now?"

"Yes."

There was a small, dry smile on his face as he walked at her side. He paused and pressed what he had been rummaging for earlier into her hand. It was the small, pointed weapon wrapped in coarse paper and twine. Anna felt different when she saw his expression. The look in his eyes was sad yet contented. _Am I just being paranoid?  
_

She unwrapped the package and held out the dagger. It looked almost like a toy compared to the sword Kratos had at his side. Anna rolled it over in her hands. It was beautiful, as was everything to her. The blade was simple, shining steel and the hilt was a polished wood. Overall, it looked rather cheap compared to his, but Anna knew better than to question its value. The dagger wasn't made to be flashy, and she didn't care; it was a weapon and he gave it to her.

"Use it only when you absolutely need to," he said as he took it from her and secured it in her left boot. It slid in easily enough, though she wondered if it would end up slicing her. As if on cue, he added, "This should be fine for now, just don't run with it in."

"...Thank you," she said, though her voice betrayed her surprise. They walked side by side for a moment before she spoke up, "Kratos, why did you kill them?"

He answered her with a wincing frown.

"If you want to atone for something, why are you murdering? Should you not be looking for ways to assist those who need it?" Anna couldn't hide her anger any longer or mask it with fear. She understood what her problem was. She hated the suffering that littered the grounds they walked upon.

"I believe I have been helping someone who needs it."

Anna sighed. "I just do not understand it. You murder anyone who pursues us. Can you not think of another way to secure our safety?"

Kratos looked deep in thought for a while. Anna was sure he would not respond as usual until he finally began, "I have been doing this for... a long time. I don't always act ideally. I understand that you believe I am working against you, but you would already be imprisoned if I was. This isn't a game."

The truth in his words were all too clear to her. "What are we working toward then?"

"We will find a place for you to live out the rest of your life peacefully."

The scenery began to change into rolling hills and large plateaus surrounded by rocks and ravines. The grass was green and brown and rolling as the wind blew harsher. In the distance, a huge formation of rock and dirt formed a collective hundreds of feet high. Anna was glad for the protection her coat and leggings offered her, but her heart ached as her energy slipped away. She focused on the mountainous peak in the distance, though after a short while Kratos held up a hand and stopped her from continuing on.

"What is it?" Anna asked, straining to hear and see through the darkness of freshly fallen night.

"This way," he said as he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her between a sheer cliff's base and the fallen stones. Anna listened to the howling of the wind as Kratos shrugged off the pack and knelt beside her. There was a strange shuffling sound in the distance. Kratos was hiding the supplies amongst the rocks when a small group of people began walking passed. Anna strained for a better look, peeking over the dusty boulder to see the band of travelers. She noted the strange look of the two men accompanying a small, curvy girl in the center. She was dressed in a short cloak and a pointed hat with long boots. The two men looked savage and frightening. Both carried swords in their hands and appeared almost feral. Anna looked up at Kratos questioningly.

"Bandits," he whispered. He was looking ahead of them, at distantly approaching lights. "There has been a party traveling behind us for some time. Probably trying to stop at the nearby House of Salvation not too far ahead."

"I did not notice them in the least..." Anna murmured thoughtfully.

"Always be on your guard," Kratos said rather gruffly, "assuming you want to survive."

Anna ignored him and watched the three disappear into the brush farther down the road. "Shouldn't we help those people? What if the bandits ambush them and they get hurt?"

Kratos sighed and closed his eyes. With her elbow, Anna nudged him hard and persistently. "They will most likely not slay them. Assisting them would put you at risk."

She prodded him again. "Will it settle matters if I volunteer to stay behind and hide?"

Kratos sighed once again and resigned himself. He stood rather unhappily and snuck off down the grassy pathway. In truth, the deciding factor had not been a valiant one. He would go and dispose of the threat to ease Anna's stress and calm her nerves, not to save the pilgrims. Before, he found her giddy fascinations with the world around her to be irritating. Now, it was much better to have her enthralled with the sight of a leaf than have her certain he was leading her to her doom. Kratos hid himself in the brush as well, out of the dim light of the moon. It would be hard to perform a sneak attack in the dark with his sword. Or maybe he was softening up to the idea of disarming rather than killing, like Anna had suggested. He shook the bothersome thoughts from his head and focused his vision. The girl was approaching the travelers while her two accomplices took to the trees to the left. Clever.

Anna smiled to herself as Kratos melted away into the distance. It was almost impossible to see to where the flickering lights were. Pulling herself up onto the boulder, Anna strained to catch a glimpse of what was going on. There was no sign of Kratos' burning sword, so that was a relief. As she leaned forward out of the shadowy darkness cast by the cliff's steep edge, loud and fast footsteps approached her. Anna turned fast and slipped, falling from her stony seat onto the ground. As she did, a hand that was meant to snatch her by the throat missed, flying over her head and grasping at the air where she once sat. She scrambled upright, scraping her legs and hands on the uneven ground.

A man's voice was to her left, hushed yet growling. "Hold still!"

Another deep voice was behind her, looming over. "Jus' grab 'er!"

A hand pinned her at the shoulder while another two grabbed her legs. Afraid to call out for fear Kratos would abandon the travelers in need, she kept quiet. She kicked her legs hard, thrashing against the man at her feet. One foot broke free and connected with something hard. The man yelped and clutched his face in his hands. Anna was once again thankful for her boots.

"Yer a feisty lit'le _cat,_" the one looming over her said as the back of his hand connected with her face, "aren't chew?"

Anna let out a gasp at the hit and bit back a cry. Her vision burst white for a moment before refocusing. The man who hit her hauled her up on her feet as the other buried his fist in her stomach. "She ain't no cat! She squeakin' like a mouse!" the other laughed as he rubbed his jaw.

Anna groaned and buckled over. She was used to the abuse at the ranch, but these men were larger and used their fists more often than the guards did. Guards liked to whip you when you slacked and kick you if you were down. These men were something else. Anna craned her head to try and see in Kratos' direction, but all she could hear was the ring of swords. There was no chance for relief just yet.

"Les go, lit'le mousy," the man behind her said as he pushed her forward toward the other one.

Each step made the pains in her stomach feel like stabbing. Anna coughed violently and stumbled, falling onto the chest of the bandit with the freshly swollen jaw. "Aww, she likes me," he said as they both laughed.

_Hurry up, Kratos, _Anna thought as they took her farther from the sight of the scuffle. She felt so frail and incapable around these two hulking idiots that it made her feel all the more worse. When the worst of the stomach pain had gone, Anna wiggled her feet against the rocks, slipping and stumbling on purpose to create inconvenience for her captives. They were too stupid to notice the purposeful way she was sputtering about, but it was also like they seemed not to care. Anna did her best to ignore what "fun plans" they claimed to have in store for her and focused (with much disdain) on the fact she had lost her dagger in her fits of kicking.

"Righ' o'er 'ere, mousy," the larger one laughed as he pulled her by the arm into a shallow cave. Anna planted her feet behind the smaller boulders and struggled against him. The entrance smelled foul, like the way the cells at Asgard ranch did. Panicking, she sunk her teeth into the bear-like paw of her attacker, biting as hard as she could against his disgusting, dirty knuckles. Warm blood and sweat mixed in her mouth before the man pulled his hand back, screaming and yelling angrily. He swung his other fist at her, glancing a hard blow off the top of her head.

Anna spun as she fell back against something soft, head pounding heavily and hard.

"Beautifully executed!" A familiar, airy voice called and drifted off in the darkness as she fell unconscious.

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**Reviews are a great source of vitamin C!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Try to keep an open mind with this chapter, and try not to get lost!**

**Ever have to go back and analyze your own story over and over until you remember whatever the heck the details you wrote a month ago were? I wonder how authors with novel series do it. I only have 6 previous chapters, and I'm gnawing at my fingernails trying to remember what hair color I might have said Anna's sister had. It's driving me nuts. **

**Does anyone ever fill out complete and detailed profiles of characters they create? I used to do that all the time when I was a kiddo. I think I should do it again so I stop forgetting these things.  
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**I had a hard time deciding who I wanted the "familiar voice" from the previous chapter to belong to. The story pivots a lot depending on who I stick in. x_x I hope what I chose wasn't too weird. I felt odd as I finished this up.  
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**Now you don't know where I'm coming from. On to the reviews!:**

**oursolemnhour49 : I feel your pain. I need to have 70 pages of psychology drabble read for class tomorrow and an essay finished for later that night. Isn't fanfiction such a troublesome lover? Hehe**

**Divine Wolfe : Another thing I've wondered about is why doesn't Kratos ever grow any facial hair? And how does he see anything up ahead with half his vision obscured by his choppy, emo haircut that we all adore? It is amazing he never walked right into a low-lying tree branch at some point on the journey.**

**DragonSong17 : I have a bit of a difficult time softening Kratos up, I confess. I find it hard to let 4,000 years of solid grumpiness be thawed by chapter 6, hehe! I'm getting there! Also, I know the story can be pretty dark, but I think it's a very important stage of their time together that most fanfics seem to gloss right over. It will get lighter... probably... eventually...  
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Everything was glowing blue. From the moment Anna had opened her eyes to the moment she straightened herself, blue enveloped her vision. It grew and waned, washed and faded away, and then would return brighter than before. Her heart no longer hurt... _but why did it hurt to begin with_? Her head didn't sting from... _why was it stinging again_? And her chest felt weightless... _but why was it ever heavy?_

The light shifted and opened up to door shaped hatch in front of her. Anna tried to stand and floated upright, her feet inches above a bright blue sky. She looked above and saw miles above her (or was it below?), an endless sea of green plains and oceans dotted with flocks of migrating birds and clouds. She reached overhead to touch them but the image flickered and swirled, replaced with the same soft, churning blue. The azure hue was melting into other colors. Beautiful greens and yellows and purples mixed into the ethereal dance. The door-shaped opening warped and shrank, straightened and expanded. There was a small, shining ball replacing a doorknob. It looked like it was beckoning her, inviting her to touch it.

Anna reached for it and fingered its dark, sparkling surface. It looked almost like her... _like what_? She couldn't remember. It was warm and expanded in her hands to the size of an apple. Anna thought briefly of when she last tasted the fruit and couldn't recall. She tried remembering why it was so hard to think to no avail. The black, sparkling gem swelled and shifted into an apple of gleaming red. The color was so deep and so rich that Anna swore she had seen it somewhere before. A blazing auburn... _auburn what? Auburn something. Something about red... something is important. _

She rolled it in her hands. The inner heat of it grew until she was forced to drop it. The "apple" floated in place and began to burn, the color melting from its surface and dripping into nothingness. The sphere morphed again, elongating into an elegantly flaming sword. Anna grabbed it at the golden hilt and inspected it closely. This sword was unmistakably something she recognized... _but from where?_

_Frustrating, beast of a memory, _Anna swore to herself. She took a look at the swirling, door-like opening before her. The space beyond it was neither black nor white, hot nor cold, thick nor thin. She plucked a finger into it and felt complete nothingness. She realized the sword had evaporated, and took no time in jumping through the space beyond where it once was. After all, it was just a dream...

...

Everything was glowing blue, though this time the heaviness of her eyelids and chest as well as the pain in her heart and her head were very much real. She twitched her fingers and groaned before sitting up, the watery hue dispelled from her vision.

"Hold it! I'm not finished yet." A warm voice belonging to a set of hands pushing her back down urged. Anna reluctantly reclined again, unsure of where she was or how she got there. He replaced his hand above her eyes once again as a pale, warm, blue light seeped from his palm.

_Healing artes... a half-elf?_ Anna wondered to herself as the pounding in her head began to disappear. "Eldrich?"

"Wrong! Guess again!"

Anna couldn't recall another friendly half-elf she had met. "...Have you gone mad, Kratos?"

"Who's that?" The boy giggled. Anna glimpsed pale hair from behind the mana at her forehead.

"I have not a clue as to who you are." Anna felt his other hand working down the fastenings of her mantle. Something about his speedy movements weren't alarming, but rather professional. "Are you my doctor?"

He laughed again. "In a sense, I suppose," he said as he prodded between her collarbones. Anna stiffened immediately. "You must have had a lot of excitement lately. Have you been under a lot of pressure since you departed? Your skin is raw."

There was no room for the thoughts inside of Anna's head. "...Brom?"

"Yes, it is I!" Brom laughed as he refastened her coat.

"I died," Anna sighed. "Even in death, everything hurts."

Brom stared at her quizzically when he finally removed his hand. Anna struggled to sit up when he was finished, noticing they were still inside the rocky inlet of the cliff. The disgusting smell made it impossible to mistake. "You aren't dead!"

Anna stared at Brom with mixed feelings. She felt strange looking at him. She knew he was dead. She had seen him, nearly lifeless when they finally dragged him from his cell to never return. "You are not Brom."

"Anna?" He frowned at her. He looked so young with his blond hair and blue eyes, as if he hadn't aged a day.

"Why are you speaking like that? You sound nothing like yourself. Even your brother would think I sound more like you than you do."

Brom stood, clearly upset. "I've been away for two years now, and this is how you treat me? With hostility?"

"How long was I out?" Anna demanded as she stood, shaken and confused. There was something about this person who looked and sounded so similar to Brom that was terribly out of place.

"Not very long, only a few minutes," he gazed at her with misted, blue eyes. "I healed what damage they had done to you. Your exsphere... it will be a while before it finishes you. At this rate, it still has a year at the least to mature. After that, I expect you'll die in a couple short years. You need to be careful about running around like this. You're speeding things up."

Anna finally tore her gaze away and examined the room. The position of the moon was perfect enough to see slightly inside of the cave's walls. Pale outlines of her dead assailants decorated the floor. A metallic smell was mixing with the original stench of rot and urine. The boy was approaching her with a dagger in his outstretched hand. He was offering it to her, the very same dagger she dropped along the way, with apologetic _blue eyes._

Anna snatched the dagger up and returned it to her boot. "Thank you for saving me, but who are you really?"

"Anna, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm Brom! It's really me!" His act was beginning to make her very sick and angry.

"Brom... had brown eyes. Brown eyes like mine," she said, backing up to the entrance. "And he loathed murdering."

The cave seemed to shift about as the fair-headed boy began to grin. He looked wild to her, smiling crazily. Anna watched his lips move but could not hear. There was a certain weightlessness in the air again, as if she were still in her dream. She looked around the room at the blackness. It was turning the same as the substance that was in the door-like passage she had entered. Her feet were floating above the ground again and she looked down, picking her dagger back up for reassurance. The boy had disappeared from view, melting against the shadowy rock and into oblivion. The walls echoed with his whisperings, indefinite and haunting.

_..os...I...fou..._

_...os...found you...  
_

Something slick was on her hand. As she observed the dagger she was holding, blackened blood perspired on the blade. It flowed out and onto her hands to meet the vastness of it on the floor. Everything looked like it was crying thickened blood. Fear knotted its way into her veins as the gooey liquid filled the room and rose up her legs. Anna tried to wake herself to no avail. Her exsphere greedily siphoned her strength the more she struggled to break free, her panic cresting as she clawed it with her free hand and harshly pulled.

A bright light seemed to escape the white-hot gem at her throat as she twisted. It was blinding and terrifying. She could feel it coming loose, but something was holding her back. An invisible force in front of her was pushing it back into the skin. Anna struggled against the force, desperate to wake up and flee the nightmare. Finally, she abandoned prying it from her throat and thrust the dagger forward into the darkness with her hand.

"Anna, stop!" Kratos yelled as he pried her hand away from her exsphere and held it to her. Anna looked at him without seeing, desperate and unaware of reality. There was a sudden, sharp pain in his abdomen. Anna had plunged the dagger under his ribs in her hysterics and deserted it there.

The darkness melted away and the deep pool of blood receded, the only trace being a thick coating left on her hand. There were still faint echoes of whispers in her head. She cried out, squirming against whatever was pinning her. She could feel the wind from the opening of the cave flow against her hair. Slowly, she began to calm herself, listening to a faint beating in the distance. In the moonlight, silvery strands of red hair blew against her face.

"Kratos?" Anna murmured against his chest, uncertain if she was sleeping or awake. The last dream had been so real. She could still make out the boy's indefinite whisperings in her ears.

He released her from his restraining embrace slowly, and seated her on the crumbly floor. "What happened?" Kratos asked quickly in a strained voice.

The cave looked like it would melt into another nightmare. Anna's eyes darted about wildly. The moonlit floor. The ghostly bodies by the door. The dagger Kratos was pulling out of his side.

"I am so sorry!" Anna gasped as she jolted to her feet. Kratos looked pained but stable, his breathing taking on a wheezing sound.

The whisperings were growing faster and louder. Anna looked around the room and began to shake. Kratos was saying something, but the sound was muffled out as the whispers took the volume of ghastly shouts.

_...tos..._

_...I fou...ou..._

_...Kratos... I found you..._

Tears flowed from Anna's eyes as she clutched her ears, screaming. Her cries were inhumanly loud and sharp, but she failed to hear. Kratos grabbed her quickly and pulled her from the cave. The moment they escaped it, the voice ceased, dying midway through a sentence and drifting off into the wind.

The air pulled at Anna, chilling her in the night gusts. Kratos was leading her down the path she had been forced along. Anna paid little attention. Shaken by the dreams or whatever they had been, she trudged forward blindly with his arm around her shoulders. When the fires of a large building lit the ground they were walking on, she barely noticed.

"A room," she heard him request. Where were they? The world was hazy as if she were in a daze.

The softness of a bed was below her suddenly. Anna jerked up as soon as he tried pressing her back onto the pillow. Kratos looked at her wearily. His features were drawn, giving him the look of a much older man. Anna gently pulled back at his hand covering his side. Blood had seeped down his clothes and through his fingers, the dagger responsible wedged tightly in his belt from when he had removed it.

"I am so sorry," she whispered again as she released his stained hands. Anna felt the exsphere on his hand slip against her fingers as she did. Unlike hers, it was cool to the touch.

The room suddenly illuminated in a sickly turquoise. Kratos healed his wound expertly, the skin melding back into harmony as the severed tissues knit themselves back together behind the torn purple fabric of his lightweight armor. Kratos coughed a moment before wiping his chin. In the dark, Anna couldn't clearly see blood on his lips but she heard it in his lungs, a threatening gurgle behind his otherwise even breathing. She watched as he sat heavily on the bed beside her, jittery from the memory of the dreams she had suffered from.

"Are you all right now?" Her voice was deceptively even but frail.

The room they occupied was small enough for a man like Kratos to stretch both arms across and touch the opposite walls. Only a rickety wooden chair occupied the room other than a small, white washed window across from the bed. The wood paneling looked splintery for the few moments it had been visible, and the glass shook within the window frame against the howling wind. Anna drew her knees up to her chin beside her companion.

"Kratos?"

The mercenary sat up and placed his sheathed blade at his side. "I didn't mean for this to happen," he said quietly.

Anna noticed a shape near his feet on the dark floor. Anna stooped over the side and picked it up. It was a frail candle with a wax covered base. "I do not even know what happened..."

He looped a finger through the base and took it from her, lighting the candle with the matches she had been struggling with. The shabby room flickered faintly in the candlelight as he waved the match out and flicked it to the floor. Kratos handed it back to her knowing she would be comforted by its tiny flame.

"Those two men were dead. What happened?" Kratos pried.

Anna struggled to remember the details. "Did you assist those travelers?"

"They were unharmed," he replied with weary patience. His lung still strained from a small deposit of blood that had dripped in through the cut. Anna luckily hadn't been strong enough to do much damage. "It took me much longer to scatter them than if we had ignored them completely. We should avoid meaningless battles like this if we want to move quickly and safely."

"I am sorry," she whispered, huddling over the light in her hands. _I just wanted to help, _she thought miserably. Anna pressed her lips together firmly and gazed at the burning wick. It glowed as the wax melted, just as the burning apple in her vision had before it morphed into a blade. She shot a glance at the sword between them and then up at Kratos. He watched her with his usual cold exterior.

He pulled the dirk from his belt and held it carefully. "Where did you learn how to wiel-"

"Kratos?" Anna's voice wavered as she looked into his eyes with tears brimming. Words crawled back down his throat. "Kratos, Brom is _dead._"

She was shaking as he took the candle from her and placed it on the chair with her knife. As she shook her head he could see the blackening bruise beneath the hair. He extended his hand to her shoulder but said nothing. The fact that the half-elf had died had been relayed to him by her own word. Why was she fussing over it now?

"Brom is _dead,_" she repeated, her words picking up a frantic pace. "He is dead, so who was that boy? He looked so much like him, Kratos, he really did."

She was almost laughing through the tears as they dripped from her chin. She knocked his hand from her as she brushed her hands through her hair in an effort to control herself. Kratos' mood darkened further as she went on. "There were only the bodies when I arrived. What happened?"

"They seized me and knocked me unconscious, I think," she spoke as she knotted her eyebrows in confusion. "I was... dreaming."

"One does not dream when knocked unconscious," he informed.

She ignored him and continued, "Everything was so bright, like mana. It was warm and safe. There was a door..."

Kratos watched uneasily as she reached toward the window and skimmed the air with her fingers.

"I went through and it woke me up."

Irritated at her outburst he pressed, "You thought I was one of them?"

Anna turned to him questioningly. "I never saw you until after I hurt you. I never perceived you to be there at all until it had already occurred. I thought I had woke. As I said, I saw a young boy. He was healing me. He claimed to be Brom and told me I do not have much time left before my exsphere fully matures. I have a few years at the most." She took a hand and ran it through her short hair once more as a nervous habit before continuing, "I could not believe it was him. He had a similar voice and blond hair, but I remember Brom clearly. He never had blue eyes, and neither did Eldrich. And his manner of speech was-"

"What did this boy look like?" Kratos urgently interrupted.

Anna shrank back from the alarming look in his eyes. "He was a child, with blond hair and blue eyes...?"

Kratos glowered at the sheets. What Anna had been seeing had been no dream, but an illusion. That much had become obvious to the both of them. He knew there was no way Anna could have slain the two men as expertly as they had been. When he finally noticed the girl nervously twisting her hands together he realized there was more.

Anna shivered as she spoke. "He said he found you.

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**A review a day keeps a nasty Mithos at bay!**


	8. Chapter 8

**My laptop crashed and I had to rewrite this. Uhhg. Anyway, a rather dull chapter in terms of action, but rich in that sweet, delectable character development everybody seems to love more anyway. _Every _Kranna story has this chapter, so bear with it and as always, enjoy-!  
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**Anybody ever notice that Mithos as a child has blue eyes but in the OVA Yggdrasil has green? Weird. I also saw a few discrepancies over the color of Yuan's eyes. Also, has anybody noticed that in the OVA we get a look at Anna just a teeny tiny bit? Short hair, long dark boots. Thank you for the clarity ever so much, Namco (why did I put Capcom? Hahhh.).  
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**Also, I just realized that about five days have gone by in the story and it's chapter 8. ...That's like 900 more chapters until Anna dies. Something must be done.**

**Reviews:**

**oursolemnhour49: I'm glad you liked it. I was thinking it was a little weird when I was writing it. I never plan chapters out, I just start writing and go with the flow. This one is a little slower to get the informational stuff out of the way, but I tried to melt Kratos a little bit more. Let's see how it goes~  
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**Kiomori: Mithos sure is creepy, isn't he? There's something about a 4000 year-old child that just makes you shudder, haha.  
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**DragonSong17: Thanks! I tried to make the illusion make as much sense as possible, so I'm glad you liked it. :)  
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**Jnaso**

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**Kratos stood and gazed through the rattling window at the darkness. The way that Anna told her tale indicated it was not a lie. He could feel her staring at his back for answers. Anna had proven over the course of the last few days to be unexpectedly sharp for someone thrust into so much turmoil. He would not have been surprised if she had been the type to faint at the first sight of trouble. Yet she had endured, and with almost irritating accuracy had pinned the suspect down as himself once again.

"What exactly is going on?" Anna asked as she fussed against the clasps on her jacket before spreading it over the foot of the bed.

Kratos ignored her as best he could. It had been a futile effort to try and escape from Mithos' unrelenting grasp. In less than a week he had discovered his location. Troubled, he gazed at the stars beyond the window pane. He was distantly aware of Anna's plaguing voice. If Mithos had the intention of ambushing them he would have already done so. If he had wanted to remove the slowly forming Cruxis Crystal from the girl's neck, he would have. His illusionary visit seemed only to serve as a reminder for Kratos that he could capture them whenever he pleased.

"Hey, Kratos!"

He faced her with a glare and snapped. "You're a nuisance."

Anna seemed unharmed by the remark as she slipped under the worn blankets, the innkeeper's large dress bundled up in her fist over her throat. "Forgive me," she smiled gently and patted the bed for him to sit beside her.

Kratos leaned against the brittle frame of the window instead. He folded his arms thoughtfully, the pressure on his sides reminding him of the freshly healed wound just below his ribcage. He would have moved on already had Anna's condition not been so delicate. It was a simple matter to look at her and see the battering taken from her deceased captors. Her eyes looked so energized above the sickly dark circles surrounding her lids as she scanned the room for details. The body that carried her was shaking without her notice from a deficit of rest and nourishment.

"Get some sleep. You need to rest," he told her as she was reaching for his sword that still lay on the bed. A child grabbed less objects out of curiosity than she did. Inwardly, he wanted to pry it from her hands as she strained to lift it.

Anna held the sheathed blade in the center and inspected it. Shining gold was spun down the handle in a spiral pattern speckled with sparkling, small stones. Parts of the glimmering surface were wrapped in stained cloth. Anna, aware of the hawk-like way Kratos was watching her play with his sword, slid her fingers along the layered edges above the grip. "What is this section called?"

It was obvious she would never cease to question everything around her. With fading annoyance, he abandoned his post at the wall and took his weapon from her hands. Anna slid aside to make a little more space as he sat down and placed his precious Flamberge across her legs for her to see. "That is the guard. Below it is the grip and the pommel. Collectively, they form the hilt."

"How does this sheath hold it? Would it not melt or slice through? It is far too small." _When having difficulty conversing, talk about his interests,_ Anna thought slyly as she watched his lesson closely. The blade itself she remembered to be rather broad and spiny, yet it rested in its casing of nearly a third of its width. He flipped it over on the sheets to expose the opposite side. Small markings were etched along the thick, dark wood of the scabbard. The markings reminded her of Eldrich's beautifully enchanted longsword.

The silence was much more comfortable now that her companion's irritation had died down. She couldn't blame him if he did think of her as a burden. Anna snuck a glance at him sitting beside her. It was an unspoken truth between she and Kratos that it would be impossible for her to ever live alone in peace. _Though the fault lies entirely with him that I escaped to begin with, and he is impossible to speak to, and he is probably very much insane... I feel sorry he is stuck with someone like me. I bring him nothing more than misfortune. I can not even hide properly when he asks it of me._

Kratos could see the somber expression draped over all her features when he chanced a glance. She rested against the rickety headboard with a hand placed absently over his blade_. _Her face was thin and angular like her hair, with small, pale lips. The rims of her eyelids were a bloody red against her dark, downcast lashes. He noticed the muscles controlling them twitch as she looked up. He didn't bother to look away. The way she lay with that sword under her hand looking weak and for the first time, he thought, lovely too, yielded to him the beginning of an idea.

Her honest, brown eyes had locked with his secretive ones. Finally, she broke the stare as she coughed loudly, her small shoulders quivering as she tried to stifle the sound. She had been hiding her exhaustion from herself for days. The thought of sleeping was scarcely appealing after her episode earlier that night.

"Kratos," she said, clearing her throat, "please tell me what is going on. I would like to know before it kills me."

He couldn't continue to argue with himself over her right to know any longer. She deserved to hear the truth as to why her life had been taken away and be relentlessly tortured and pursued. "Have you heard the tale of Mithos the Hero and the goddess Martel?"

"Of course, everyone from Luin knows of it."

"Mithos was the boy you encountered in the illusion you experienced. He is the leader of Cruxis, the organization that controls this world. He is the one responsible for the group known as the Desians, which he uses to further his own ends. The Angelus Project which you were a part of is an effort to create a very specific type of exsphere known as a Cruxis Crystal. When equipped with its fully formed state, the wearer is granted angelic power and near immortality as a result of altering the body's metabolism."

"Then, when I die and someone adorns their body with this," Anna said as she placed a hand over her neck, "they become an angel? Like the ones that guide the Chosen?"

Kratos frowned and held out his hand for her to see his key crest. "Anyone who bears a Cruxis Crystal or an exsphere must also have one of these. This is a key crest. Without it, effects much like what you have been experiencing affect the user. However, the Crystal grants power and immortality at the cost of their humanity, voice, and ability to feel or sleep."

"Then, why would anyone want to become an angel? And why would someone thought of as a hero do this?"

"Mithos was a hero. What you know of as the Ancient Kharlan War was put to an end by Mithos and his companions, one of which being his sister, Martel. She was murdered after the war was resolved by a human who despised half-elves and as a result, drove Mithos insane. Her dying wish was for a world free of discrimination. Mithos took it to heart but in his madness, twisted her intentions. He believed the only way for there to be a world free from racism was to make them the same. By morphing everyone into angels he intended to remove the differences from elves, humans, and all those in between."

"But is that what Martel truly wished for?" Anna asked sadly.

Kratos sighed with regret, "No. But Mithos wouldn't listen to reason from either of his remaining companions. He created the religion based upon his sister and has been manipulating the blood lines of its human followers to create a vessel with a mana signature identical to Martel's in hopes of reviving her."

Anna looked doubtful. If not for his omnipresent seriousness, she would have thought it all an elaborate lie. "And all this has been going on for four thousand years? How does he intend to revive someone that long dead?"

"Martel's soul lives on in her Cruxis Crystal which thrives off of the Great Seed, all that remains of the Giant Kharlan Tree."

By now, confusion was beginning to frustrate Anna. "So, the Giant Kharlan Tree is not lost as previously believed?"

"The Great Seed is the dormant state of the tree. It's absence is the reason this world is suffering due to the deficiency of mana. Once reestablished, the seed would grow and mana production would continue, but instead Mithos bound Martel's soul to the seed so she would live on while he searched for a way to revive her. Would you like for me to explain it again?"

Anna blushed. "No, no, thank you. I think I understand, it is just a lot to hear at once. So, if both the seed and Martel are dormant, then would planting it and restoring the flow of mana to the world not bring her back to life as well?"

"The tree and Martel are both dormant, yes. However, if one part would awaken, the other would die."

Anna rubbed the gnawing exhaustion from her eyes. "Then the world shall die when Martel is reborn. Would she not be sad to know this?"

"One can assume."

Kratos took the sword from her lap and leaned it against the bed. Anna sniffled at his side. When he looked at her once more, tears had begun to drip from her chin. She held her face calm and smiled sadly at her hands clasped together on the bed in front of her. "It is truly sad, is it not? That the world should die for a woman who simply wished for it to be a place of beauty with inhabitants that respected and loved each other. That everything should lie dead at her feet when she is able to see the world she must have loved so much again..."

"The world is a twisted place. Regenerating it would be pointless."

Anna pushed his arm as rough as she could, which wasn't much. "Why? There is so much beauty in the world. If it could be more lovely, why not make it so?"

Kratos smiled thinly and looked downcast. "Yes, perhaps."

"Kratos," Anna groaned while wiping her tears, "do you even look at anything? I mean, really look? There is so much to be seen. You can find something wonderful anywhere if you just try."

"No, not particularly," he replied. He had seen everything there was to see in his lifetime countless times.

Anna clenched her fist and raised it excitedly. "Well then, that settles matters! We will just have to regenerate it ourselves." Her partner gave her a strange look. Kratos, she realized, would probably never lighten up, but she had never seen him do anything like this before. His arms were twitching violently. A strange sound was coming from inside of him. Anna cautiously slid back against the headboard as far as she could. Was this another illusion?

"...Kratos," Anna carefully whispered, "are you laughing?"

It was another few seconds before his shaking stopped. It hadn't been audible and it hadn't been long-lasting, but it had been laughter. Anna huffed and smacked her hands down on the bedding as angrily as she could while she half-laughed herself, "What? What is so amusing about this?"

He held his thin smile in place. "Did I not make myself clear? Regenerating the world is pointless."

"No, it is not," Anna said with an uncharacteristic seriousness. The look in her eyes was strange, unlike her expressions had been around him the last couple days. "You are afraid."

Kratos narrowed his eyes and said nothing. She was challenging him, a girl who could barely stand, let alone fight. He remembered the curious way she regarded his sword while he explained the pieces to her and the idea that had begun to take root in his head. He always had a soft spot for those who wanted to learn. He thought of his last apprentice and swept the approaching doubts from his head.

She had been rambling on about fear while Kratos expertly ignored her. "Anna," he interrupted, "you can never have a home. You will never be able to settle down and have a lover or a family. You will be pursued forever, until you die."

The girl was looking at him with the same challenging stare of the undaunted. Her large, brown eyes were burning against him. With the same sharp tongue that he experienced when they first met outside the ranch she replied, "Yes. Excellent summary that I am already aware of-"

He snatched the dagger beside the candle and held it by the blade out to her. She carefully gripped it, the curious, quiet look returning. Once more he cut her off before she could bombard him with questions, "I will teach you how to defend yourself."

Anna placed the weapon back on the chair and smiled happily at her new teacher. "Then, I shall teach you how to see what I see," she agreed, "and we will try to find a way to put the world at peace together. Though I do not understand what would possess you to instruct me on how to stab _correctly _after earlier."

Kratos felt a similar energy flowing through is veins as when he abandoned Mithos' side. "That is probably what decided it."

With the change in mood, Anna climbed from the bed and peered out of the window, leaning against the frame. It felt like dawn was approaching, yet the sky had nothing to confirm it. Stars glittered around the speeding clouds that dotted the sky. The warm candlelight slicked the window with its ghostly golden hue. She could see the figure of Kratos behind her looking through the window as well. Anna failed to put into words how happy it made her to hear answers, no matter how complicated or depressing they had turned out to be. The sight of her new friend smiling as best he could (which admittedly, wasn't much) and _laughing_ (though it had been at her expense) was delighting. She had her doubts, but Kratos was turning out to be a person she could trust just as she hoped.

"So, how would we go about regenerating the world? I assume the Journey of Regeneration is a farce," Anna spoke as she returned to her seat.

Kratos folded his arms and concentrated. Anna only knew one portion of the problem. "To regenerate it we would need to combine Sylvarant with its other half, Tethe'alla."

"Tethe'alla...? That is where Eldrich and Brom are from!" Anna exclaimed, leaning closer. "It is a part of Sylvarant? Is it not also the moon?"

"Long ago, the two worlds were one. Mithos split them apart and placed them in different dimensions to prevent the world's eventual collapse due to the limited amount of remaining mana. Now, when one planet prospers, the other is placed into decline. When a Chosen of Regeneration completes their journey, the world they sacrifice themselves for is funneled the remaining mana, shifting the balance from the other."

"This explanation is getting to be quite troublesome," she muttered. "How could a mere child wield enough power to do something like that?"

"Mithos was never a mere child. In the combined world of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla over four thousand years ago, the art of summoning had not yet been lost." Kratos could see Anna had become completely lost. He continued, "Beings known as Summon Spirits exist. When a summoner proposes to form a pact with a Summon Spirit and succeeds, they are granted the Spirit's assistance. Mithos used them to form the mana links that surround the Great Seed, preventing it from germinating and destroying Martel. By doing so, he broke the promise he made with them to restore the Giant Kharlan Tree. However, prior to that, he commissioned the master of Summon Spirits, Origin, to forge him a sword imbued with his power. By using this weapon, the Eternal Sword, Mithos split the world into two and hid the comet of Derris-Kharlan, the origin of the Summon Spirits, the Giant Kharlan Tree, and the elves, with the barrier caused by the Tower of Salvation miles from the world's surface."

Anna waited to see if there would be another torrent of information dropped upon her. When the silence remained unbroken, she sighed, "I understand the part about Summon Spirits well enough, but there is a third planet and it is sealed from our sight by the Tower of Salvation? I want to say that it makes no sense, except none of what you are telling me is exactly... probable..."

"Are you sure you don't want me to explain it again?"

Anna huffed lightly, "Yes, I am. There is just one thing I really do not understand."

"What is it?"

"Why did you not leave Cruxis sooner?"

If he had honestly expected that Anna would fail to put the clues together, Kratos would call himself a fool. Yet he couldn't help but feel a twinge of surprise. "I feel no need to explain."

Anna laughed quietly and edged closer, lifting his hand. Her fingers trailed across his key crest and she began, "So, this is a Cruxis Crystal then? Then, you are an angel?"

It seemed Kratos had enough of talking. The truth had set a calm throughout Anna. Tired, she grabbed the stale pillow and propped it up against Kratos' leg. His following expression as she collapsed upon it and curled herself around him was dark and unamused. She didn't care in the least. With a solid figure like Kratos as close as possible, it was the safest she could feel in the tiny room that creaked against the wind.

"If that is true, you really do have a lot to repent for," she said as she drifted off into sleep, "we need to start right away."

What Anna didn't see as she slumbered was the way the glower melted from her protector's features. Tranquility settled into his heart along with relief. It had been long years since he confided in anyone, let alone someone who he deserved hatred from. To see her nestled against him as he remained seated, alert and on guard as always, was strange but welcome. He would protect her as long as he could, with the warmth of humanity seeping into him slowly from the gentleness of her smile.

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**Fin. **

**...Kidding. **

**Reviews are a welcome source of caffeine.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Found more Anna shots in the manga, but to be honest, the manga is my least favorite version of the tale (though it does send me into fangirl crazies every time I see Kratos smiling at baby Lloyd. _Ahhh_, so cute.) ****Every chapter or so, I go back and reread/rewatch/replay parts of the manga/OVA/game to see if I'm messing something up. And eeeevery time I find something new. Anybody else torture themselves this way?**

**This chapter is told mostly in the limited point of view of Kratos rather than Anna. Enjoy.  
**

**Reviews:**

**AngelofaWhiteNight : Thank you for bringing that error to my attention! Haha, how embarrassing... The episode where they show nearly nothing of Anna is one of the first ones where Dirk is relating to Lloyd what really happened to her. You truly do not see much at all in it. I'm glad you liked the chapter! I like to refer to ones of that nature as Kratos and Anna having "the talk" hehe.**

**oursolemnhour49 : I feel like after so much at the ranch, anything else thrown at her has already been blunted by her experiences. It's tough to keep Anna in character because I feel like she probably changes quite drastically throughout her remaining life, so I'm glad you think Kratos isn't straying from his personality. I try to make him the constant in her ever changing world.**

**DragonSong17 : Does the uniform really change? I didn't even notice! Ahhhg, I wish they would keep the details consistent... I am such a detail maniac. And his Tethe'allan clothing is my favorite too...  
**

**Jnaso**

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A string of days had passed since Anna fell asleep against him. Kratos had lifted her and arranged her properly beneath the starchy blankets shortly after their conversation, but Anna still shivered from cold that wasn't there. The caravan she had begged him to assist had moved on from their lodgings the previous day, though not without repayment. Amongst their helpful party had been an escaped prisoner much like her. When they knocked upon their door in the early morning, the man took immediate notice of Anna in the corner. Kratos had seen it perhaps before Anna had: a fever had settled over her, likely invited by her weak constitution.

With an usual stroke of luck, the party had been traveling with an experienced doctor who had insisted repeatedly that he scan her over. Kratos reluctantly allowed him to pass into the room. To show their gratitude, the gentleman placed a vial of antibiotics on the chair beside the bed and departed after advising she get as much undisturbed rest and nourishment as possible.

Kratos watched her carefully as he brooded. Anna tossed as she slept, her once pale cheeks flushing a bright pink. At times her lids would crack open, the evening light glimmering against the water beneath them before closing. Her quiet breathing became labored and raspy frequently enough to inject a feeling not unlike worry through his veins. While the doctor did his best to impress the aura of optimism on her situation, he understood her inner fire was reduced to nothing more than a flickering candle's flame.

Every half day he would leave to replenish the shallow bucket of water at the bedside. At this waypoint before Asgard, the priests were benevolent enough to offer their assistance and empathy. He would have preferred abandoning this House of Salvation as it was directly influenced by Mithos and the Desians, but he could see no other option left open to them. Her fever had lowered since he first dripped the medicine into her water and forced her to drink the day before, but not enough. He repeated this in intervals of a couple hours, taking care to never let her dehydrate.

Anna was swinging her legs over the bedside as he reentered, attempting to stand. Her eyes were squeezed shut from the light as she shakily rose before he gently eased her back into the bed. "You need to rest," he informed her.

"Kratos...?" Anna murmured as he tucked her back in. The under sheet was damp against his fingers from sweat. Anna rubbed her hands through her hair deliriously. "Wha... what is wrong with me? I thought... I thought you left..."

"Temporarily," he reasoned. He felt her burning forehead with his palm. Long ago was the last time he had to nurse someone with a fever.

Anna sighed blissfully under his hand. "Your fingers are freezing... where are we?"

"We're still close to Asgard."

"Will Mithos find us?" Her small voice was fearful.

Kratos soothed her skin with the cool freshness of the back of his hand. Anna smiled gratefully as he spoke, "He knows where we are. Whatever his reasons may be, he has chosen not to strike us yet. We should be safe for now."

Anna placed a hot hand over his and sighed, "I am sorry to trouble you like this..."

"It's nothing."

She shook her head apologetically as he bent to pour her water and medicine. "No... I will get well soon... I promise."

Anna took the cup and drank deeply as he braced her shoulders with his arm. The feverish coloring on her face drained enough to make her look slightly pallid. As she nestled back into the sheets she gave him an appreciative smile. Kratos felt small waves of guilt washing against him. Anna didn't blame him or hate him, but he wished she did. Her thankfulness and pleasure in his company left him feeling remorseful. It was not what a deplorable traitor like him deserved.

When the sun spilled over the plateaus in the east the following morning, she rose. The sickness had abated and left her appearing radiant by comparison. Anna pulled him from his post at the bedside to the window. "First lesson: see?"

Kratos could already tell this was the beginning of a long line of troublesome and tiring exercises. He examined the rising, golden orb as intricately as he could. It was not unlike any sunrise he had witnessed before. "The sun is rising," he concluded.

This was apparently an incorrect answer, as it warranted a harsh nudge from her. Kratos faintly acknowledged the relief it brought him to see her returned to normal, citing the feeling as gratefulness that he could now stop waiting on her like a maid. The blazing light danced across the landscape and through Anna's unkempt hair as she retreated to the bed and fetched her mantle. The colors that danced on each strand before vanishing back into its natural, dark brown shade made him believe that for a moment he might have seen something a little like what she had been talking about. Once more he dismissed the humane thought as nonsense. Trapped inside the room for so long had sunk far under his skin, that was all.

Anna scattered his thoughts. "Are you ready to depart? I am starving."

They exited and descended the stairs. The priests and elderly caretaker greeted Anna warmly and wished her well. They seemed genuinely glad for her recovery, but Kratos would not shake his cynicism enough to trust them. Now that they had served their purpose and she was able to move on, they would do so immediately. It was only fortune that spared them from any Desian search parties, but he didn't care to test it any longer. Too many had seen them in one area for much too long. He finished purchasing the doctor's recommended diet for Anna and refilled on water while she listened to the incessant chatter of an elderly woman.

Anna smiled and waved to the good tempered clergymen before trotting up to Kratos who stood observing mildly from afar.

"What is our plan?" Anna asked through a mouthful of gifted bread. It appeared to him to be impossibly stale and chewy as she gnawed through, ignorantly pleased with its flavor.

Thoughts of bread aside, Kratos wasn't so sure. The excitement of restoring the world had dimmed for both of them once unspoken doubts had risen. With Anna so perilously and frequently ill, it would be foolish to attempt to train her in defense tactics. However, without that useful skill developed, there would be no time to chase after severed planets and ancient madmen. Should there have been reason enough to do so, there simply was no plan at all. Without the power of the Eternal Sword, reuniting the planets would be impossible, and aforementioned weapon was bound to Mithos by blood and the unbroken seal surrounding Origin. This seal which Kratos had agreed to harbor could only be severed upon his death, a tricky fact that he chose to keep secret. Even if they somehow obtained it and discovered a way for a human to wield it, neither Kratos nor Anna were likely candidates to hold it at their command.

An easy method to curing the girl's interminable nagging for his responses was to offer any sort of recognition possible, he had come to realize. Though the choices left open were obvious to him, he relayed them for her sake. "We should get as far away from there as possible. We lingered far too long."

"Then, we are journeying into Asgard?"

"No, we're heading for Hakonesia Peak," he corrected while taking her hand to steady her over the twisting path of rocks. "Once we pass through we should be able to reach Palmacosta in three day's time."

"I see." The readiness in her friend's replies made her sorry. She had been such a hindrance from the moment they met. Her frailty and sickness, she felt, would never leave. Kratos had even kindness enough to spare to assist her in getting well and yet she relentlessly plagued him with questions. The least she could do for him now is stay silent.

After passing a crossroad, the trail widened and evened out. Large plateaus surrounded each side of the walkway, with washed out mountains towering in the distance. The peaks stretched high against the misty clouds with small sign of a passage. The sun had begun to grace its peak in the midday sky when Kratos diverged left from the path into a narrow ravine. Anna followed, unsure but unquestioning as her mercenary slide through the opening with effortless ease. Anna watched him sadly as she tread along what was once an old riverbed. She couldn't fathom he lived for over four thousand years. A closer thought was he simply existed.

Kratos could hear the boots grinding against the gravely path they had navigated around a few minutes before. From the faint sound of their voices he could tell they were scouts. No sooner than they both broke free from the gorge and into a maze of steep-sided rock formations, the voices were echoing softly in his ears. They were following Anna's clumsy trail.

"Close your eyes," he instructed as he lifted her into his arms. She tensed and clung viciously to him, burying her face against his arm. A warm, tingling sensation ran along his back as he spread his wings, jumping and gliding upward onto one of the large, masses of land cut off from the ground. Anna felt the air surge against her as he leapt. The height was inhuman and impossible. Dust rose into her opening eyes as his feet connected with the ground. He withdrew his wings of mist and mana early so she wouldn't glimpse them, a sudden rushing drop and skidding the result of the landing.

Strange sensation filled Anna's limbs as she was deposited gently on the island. Slowly and cautiously she crept to the edge, sliding along the soft, sun-burnt grass on her hands and knees. The earth was sickening far below with little other than the steep, rigid sides of the steppe supporting them. Fear and vertigo swayed her forward until Kratos pulled her back to lie down beside him.

"Do you fear heights?"

"Eh? Ah... er," Anna averted her eyes as she stammered. "Not particularly..."

Kratos smiled faintly at the irony. "The Desian Patrol is here... just beyond our entrance point."

Anna turned serious. "They are?"

"You didn't notice?"

"No," she confessed and turned her focus to the floating clouds above. They drifted at their lazy pace, untouchable and free. "Somehow I believe your senses are heightened beyond mine."

"So it would seem." He watched the sky with her, certain the search party wouldn't be able to spot them resting high above. As long as they didn't lean over the side they would be well hidden until they passed. Nothing against the powdery blue struck him as extraordinary like it did for Anna. It was always a mystery as to what she was thinking when she made that wistful face. She was smiling peacefully in the sunshine, her hair blown back by the breeze. "Are you hungry?"

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I already ate today."

Staying low, he picked out a simple meal and handed it to her. "You need to focus on regaining your strength. If you want to learn to defend yourself, that is."

"Then, you meant what you said? That you would teach someone like me?" Anna held a small, translucent orange tablet upward, eclipsing the sun from her eye. "What is this?"

He answered quickly, "Vitamins. You should be taking two per day." At this, Anna laughed. Kratos hushed her with a quick motion.

"Sorry, I just... you have become quite the caretaker." She swallowed the pill and nibbled at her meal while the clouds danced above. "That one looks a little like the dent in the wall of my cell," she told him absently.

The nonchalance with which she spoke of her imprisonment was disquieting. He almost gave into a strange urge to inquire about the time she spent there, but to do so would have been foolish and unnecessary. The footfalls of the Desians were below them now, amidst the maze of steep and crumbly walls of rock and dirt. By the drifting sound of their hushed voices, there were perhaps four or five. It was not a group constructed to do anything more than search for details.

Anna seemed aware of their presence as well, as she subdued her voice to a whisper, "What are they yelling about?"

Kratos rolled over off his back and glanced over the side, Anna copying his movements. A figure in the distance was limping closer, blond hair blowing with the dust, a long, silvery sword clutched in his hand. One of the scouts approached and hailed him, seemingly comfortable with his presence.

The sight of the man made her gasp. "That is... Eldrich! Is he all right?"

Kratos frowned. Any acquaintance of Anna's brought nothing but trouble. "He looks fine."

She leaned forward against his arm to get a better look. Blood trailed along behind the half-elf as he spun, swiping his sword against the Desian. It missed, perilously close to biting through his opponent's stomach. The group dispersed and recollected a few yards away from him, shouting amongst themselves. Anna couldn't distinguish what they were saying against the growing breeze. "Why would Eldrich attack his own comrades? What is he doing? Kratos, we have to help him!"

"Thinking logically, it would be best to leave them be. We don't want to draw any unnecessary attention," he reminded.

"But he is injured-"

The patrol retreated, fading into the crevice from which the pair escaped earlier. Kratos pulled her back from the ledge as Eldrich tossed his gaze up and spotted them. "He can mend his own wounds. He's already aware that we're here."

Stubborn, she tried to reason, "I think he wants to speak to us... he scattered those Desians."

"That is a possibility, or perhaps he plans to take you back to Kvar." He listened for clues beyond the wind but heard nothing. The boy was likely waiting at the base of the island-like landmass, patient and determined. Remaining at this height by day was one thing, but night would be another. At this altitude, the girl would be subject to wind and passing chill, and Kratos was not willing to play Nurse again just yet.

The female in question stood with a thoughtful hand on her chin. "If it fell to a battle between the two of you, I believe you would win."

"If greeting him is what you wish, very well... but be on your guard," Kratos said as he lifted their supply pack onto his shoulders. "It's harder to fight when defending someone."

Anna squeaked as she was lifted into his arms. The sudden paralysis of fear infected her limbs and stole her voice. To take a tumble from the height they were at could very possibly kill her, but it wasn't death that filled her veins with ice. The sickening sensation of falling was what disturbed her the most, and it consumed her as her protector dashed and soared off of solid ground and plunged downward to the earth. The gentle sensation of floating that accompanied their earlier ascent was not present, gravity pulling them ferociously into its arms. Kratos' shoes connected with the barren earth hard as he deposited both she and their supplies on the ground beside him. Fluidly, he tore his weapon from its sheath and pivoted to brandish the blade defensively.

Eldrich was busy concentrating on healing his leg. The shin was swollen an ugly shade of purple where the clothing had been pulled back to allow sweet, blue mana to work its magic. He looked up as he finished and stood on it awkwardly. The face behind his pale yellow hair was white with sweat and pain. "Fantastic display of agility, though your ward appears less than impressed."

Anna was a small puddle of herself shaking with fright at Kratos' heels. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she choked out, "What are you doing here?"

He smirked and sighed, tossing his hands up in a shrug. "I recently inquired the same thing," he began as he slowly turned his back to them, "and wound up as this."

Kratos and Anna were taken by surprise at the deep gashes raked across the half-elf's back. Two long, blackened with blood, uneven scratches peeled his skin down to the bone in some patches on their gruesome trails. Kratos dropped his stance as Eldrich tossed his blade to the ground a short distance away, a sorrowful song ringing off of it as it collided with the rocks. He swayed on his feet and dropped to one knee when his weight painfully shifted to his fractured leg. Anna scrambled up and knelt with him face-to-face, her worry silencing Kratos' protests before they had chance to bloom.

"Anna, we made an error. I was... wrong," Eldrich spoke and his voice cracked.

Kratos watched him warningly as the young man braced himself with both hands on Anna's shoulders in seriousness.

"Brom was never dead," he finished gravely, "but he is now."


End file.
